SC seeks Centre’s response on plea alleging arrests under scrapped Sec 66 A of IT Act

A bench headed by Justice R F Nariman said concerned officials will be arrested and sent to jail if the apex court order of March 24, 2015 scrapping the provision of the IT Act is violated. Appearing for PUCL, advocate Sanjay Parikh said more than 22 people have been arrested under the provision of the IT Act scrapped by the top court in 2015.

In 2015, after hearing a batch of petitions that alleged that the section tramples upon the Fundamental Right to freedom of speech and expression, and asked that it be declared unconstitutional, the Supreme Court scrapped the Section 66A.

Section 66A defined the punishment for sending “offensive” messages through a computer or any other communication device like a mobile phone or a tablet. A conviction can fetch a maximum of three years in jail and a fine. The vagueness about what is “offensive” triggered opposition to its constitutional validity.

(Inputs from PTI)