Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha.
The move drew criticism from netizens, who alleged that the police action was against freedom of speech.
| Photo Credit: Representative image
The Cyber Crime Wing of the Tamil Nadu police issued a takedown notice to X Corp on May 8, directing the suspension/blocking of 18 URLs/posts, including those shared by YouTuber Maridhas, within three hours, by invoking the intermediary liability provisions under the IT Act and the Information Technology Rules, 2021.Incidentally, most of the flagged URLs/posts allegedly contained content critical of the Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) and Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay. The move drew criticism from netizens, who alleged that the police action was against freedom of speech.The notice cited violations under Section 189 (Unlawful Assembly) of BNS. According to the communication, a request had been received from the Superintendent of Police, Social Media Cell, regarding certain posts containing provocative and politically sensitive remarks capable of inciting public unrest and disturbing public tranquillity. The notice stated that the posts encouraged unlawful assemblies that could adversely affect the maintenance of law and order, and potentially lead to loss of life and damage to public property.Invoking Rule 3(1)(d) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, the notice alleged that the reported URLs were being used to commit unlawful acts relating to decency, morality, and defamation.The authorised officer, in the notice issued on May 8, directed X to immediately remove or disable access to the identified posts and objectionable URLs, and to take proactive measures to prevent further dissemination of such content on the platform. The officer warned that failure to act immediately could make the intermediary liable for prosecution.Commenting on the notice issued by the Cyber Crime Wing, Narayanan Thirupathy, chief spokesperson of the Bharatiya Janata Party in Tamil Nadu, termed it a blatant attack on free speech and political dissent. He said criticism of a political party or its leader, even if sharp, was not “provocative” enough to warrant police intervention and a three-hour takedown ultimatum. “Labelling legitimate questions about governance, funding, and policies as threats to public order sets a dangerous precedent. Dissent is the lifeblood of democracy. Using cybercrime laws to silence voices critical of the TVK or any ruling dispensation undermines the very Constitution we claim to uphold,” he said.“This unfortunate harassment has been perpetrated on the day the TVK assumed power. I hope the Chief Minister, who claims he faced several hurdles during his political journey, understands this excess, and advises the cybercrime police to withdraw its demand,” Mr. Thirupathy added.Social media activist Dinesh alleged that the TVK had filed a complaint against him without valid reasons. “For what — speaking against Vijay anna or the TVK? Where are my fundamental rights? I am a citizen of this country, and have the right to speak against the Prime Minister and the Chief Minister, as long as it is done respectfully,” he said.K. Rajasekar, digital editor of Spark Pluz, said that while social media posts containing defamatory content or incitement to violence had been removed in the past, the current situation raised serious concerns. “Over the past few days, since the new government assumed office, posts and news reports critical of the government are allegedly being mass-reported in groups, and subsequently taken down. In addition, legal action is reportedly being initiated against individuals posting such content. I consider this condemnable and something that must be avoided in a democratic society that values freedom of expression and dissent,” he said.Advocate S. Karthikeyan said that X Corp usually does not comply with such takedown requests, as it considers political dissent a part of free speech. “The police are aware of this.
SFI members staging a protest against donation menace in Ranebennur of Haveri district on Sunday.
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Members of Students Federation of India (SFI) staged protests in several towns and cities on Sunday against donation menace in private colleges.They raised slogans against the Union and State governments and demanded the formation of a District Education Regulatory Authority, a task force to stop the menace.They sought a standard mechanism to take action against private schools and colleges that collect donations and exorbitant fees from students.Protests were staged in Haveri, Ranebennur and other areas.SFI district leader Arun Nagawat said that some private educational institutions across the State have already completed the admission process for 2026-27 in violation of State government rules and the Education Act of 1983 and the RTE Act of 2009.On the one hand, private schools are springing up like mushrooms and on the other, government Kannada medium schools are closing down in the State.They are collecting huge donations. Children of poor, backward and Dalit minorities are finding it impossible to study in schools due to donations in private schools.Some schools and colleges are also illegally collecting fees for tuition, tutorial, CSC, CBSC and other courses. Some PU colleges are running special institutions in the name of JEE, NEET, CET and other examinations.According to rules, aided educational institutions and unaided educational institutions are allowed to collect only development fees as prescribed by the government. But this cannot be done by force and cannot cross the limits.Some educational institutions are conducting entrance examinations for elementary classes, in violation of rules, they said.Their demands include setting up of a District Education Regulatory Authority and Anti-Donation Committee and action against educational institutions that collect donations.Deputy Commissioners and Tahsildars should hold meetings of heads of educational institutions and heads of the Education Department, parents and representatives of student organizations to stop donations.A Central legislation should be implemented that empowers the State government to regulate private educational institutions. Schools and colleges should hold meetings of parents to resolve issues of students.Student leaders Shivakumar Hottigaudru, Shashank Ujjana Gowda, Paramesh Mallad, Nitish Barki, Tarun Korkali, Nagaraj Lamani, Vinayak Madiwalara, Parashuram Nagpur, Mohammed Jeker, Chetan Uppara, Vinay Doddamani, Beeresh Halavagalu, Jayant Davangere, Harish Nayak, Kumar Chaudki, Darshan G., Beeresh N., Darshan C., Basavaraj P. and many students participated. Published - May 11, 2026 06:57 pm IST
Lieutenant Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Manoj Sinha.
| Photo Credit: IMRAN NISSAR
J&K Congress chief Tariq Hameed Karra on Sunday (May 10, 2026) termed the recent move to enhance Lieutenant-Governor Manoj Sinha’s powers in the Union Territory’s telecommunications sector as “another dent on the democratic governance mechanism of the elected government in J&K”.“The decision to hand sweeping telecom powers, including Internet shutdowns, interception, blocking of communication networks, and decryption authority to the unelected power corridor of Jammu & Kashmir is yet another dent on the democratic governance mechanism of the elected government in J&K,” Mr. Karra, J&K Pradesh Congress Committee president and legislator from Srinagar, said.Mr. Karra said for years, promises were made about restoration of trust, democratic empowerment and strengthening of institutions in J&K. “But such moves only reinforce the feeling that despite an elected setup, real authority continues to remain concentrated elsewhere,” said the Congress leader.National security and public safety are important, he said, “But extraordinary powers without democratic accountability in a region that has already suffered repeated communication clampdowns raise serious policy concerns.”“Democracy cannot be restored politically while governance continues to be centralised administratively,” Mr. Karra said.J&K Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary was also critical of the Centre’s move. “Handing over telecommunication to the L-G is yet another step — let’s see what they do. We have seen many such moves before, and people know well what was done during their reign,” Mr. Choudhary said.A few days ago, the Union government vested the L-G with powers to act under the provisions of the Telecommunications Act, 2023 in situations concerning public safety and emergencies J&K.Authorised to perform functions of the State government under Section 20(2) of the Telecommunications Act, 2023, the order enabled the L-G administration to issue directions for interception of communication, monitoring telecom services, and temporarily suspending transmission where permitted under law. Published - May 10, 2026 09:54 pm IST
Opposition leaders caution against granting L-G enhanced powers over telecom in J&K The Hindu
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