The Karnataka High Court has proposed that access to social media platforms should be restricted for young individuals, particularly schoolchildren, in the best interest of the nation. The court suggests that the minimum age for access should be either 21 or 18 years old, coinciding with the age at which individuals gain the right to vote. The division bench of Justices G Narendar and Vijayakumar A Patil made these statements during the hearing of a writ appeal filed X Corp, previously known as Twitter Inc.
Concerning the appeal, the court is set to pass orders on two interlocutory appeals filed X Corp, one of which seeks to add grounds in the case. The main aspect under examination is whether the content in question violates Sections 69A (1) and (2) of the Information Technology Act, 2000. If the provisions are indeed violated, X Corp would be required to comply with blocking orders.
The counsel for X Corp stated that the focus of the appeal revolves around the single judge’s interpretation of the law regarding the blocking of posts and accounts. Previously, a division bench had issued a conditional interim order of stay, directing X Corp to deposit a sum of Rs 25 lakh within a week to cover 50% of the Rs 50 lakh cost imposed the single bench.
X Corp argues in its appeal that the single bench incorrectly concluded that Section 69A(1) of the Information Technology Act does not necessitate reasons to be provided in writing for blocking orders. Furthermore, the appellant claims that the single bench overlooked the central government’s failure to comply with Rule 14 of the Website Blocking Rules. X Corp asserts that the impugned order disregarded the plain language of Section 69(1) and goes against the Supreme Court’s judgment in the Shreya Singhal case.
The court is expected to issue its orders on the matter in the following days.
Sources:
– P Vasanth Kumar
– Information Technology Act, 2000
– Shreya Singhal case
