Prayagraj: There has been an uproar in the country for many days regarding the Waqf Act. During this time, various types of posts have been shared on social media. The police have issued strict instructions that action will be taken against those making provocative posts.
Amidst all this, the Allahabad High Court, while hearing a petition, stated that liking provocative posts on social media does not fall under the category of crime, but sharing such posts will definitely be considered a crime.
The Allahabad High Court clarified that if an individual makes an inflammatory post on social media, action cannot be taken against someone who merely likes that post. Liking a post cannot be deemed a crime.
Liking provocative posts is not a crime
The Allahabad High Court has said that if someone likes any provocative post on social media, it cannot be considered a crime. But if he shares that post, then it definitely comes under the category of crime. This is because there is a difference between liking a post and sharing it with others.
The HC said when a post is shared, that idea goes from one place to another. Any post or message can be considered published only when it is shared or forwarded. Along with this, under the IT Act, only the broadcast of obscene picture or video comes under the purview of crime.
HC sets aside criminal proceedings
Justice Saurabh Srivastava, who was hearing a case in the High Court, canceled the criminal proceedings initiated against Imran Khan of Agra. In this case of Mantola police station area, Imran Khan is accused of liking an inflammatory post circulated on Facebook from an ID named Chaudhary Farhan Usman.
In this post, an appeal was made to gather at the Agra Collectorate to protest and submit a memorandum to the President. On this, the court had said that liking a post does not come under the purview of punishment.
Prakash Kumar Pandey