The Kerala High Court passed an interim order on Friday favouring the News Broadcasters Association’s plea challenging the new IT rules.
The High Courts’ single-judge bench of Justice PB Suresh Kumar issued notices to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology and Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, restraining the Central government from taking any coercive action against the news organisations that are part of the NBA for non-compliance of provisions under the new IT Rules.
In the petition, the News Broadcasters Association had contended that the new IT rules give government authorities excessive power to unreasonably restrict media rights.
Senior Advocate Maninder Singh who appeared for NBA, submitted that the IT Rules, 2021, were ultra vires to the parent Act.
Several other digital news media platforms have already challenged the new IT rules 2021 in various High courts, and the Centre has also approached the Supreme Court.
