Kerala Amends Police Act To Include Offensive Social Media Post | What CM Pinarayi Vijayan Said

Arif Mohmmad Khan, the Governor of Kerala, on November 21 signed the Kerala Police Act Amendment ordinance. The Pinarayi Vijayan government in the state said that the amendments were undertaken to give more power to the act by adding Section 118-A to it for preventing cyber attacks against women & children. As per the new amendments, if anyone publishes or disseminates content through any means of communication or on any platform, with the intention to intimidate, insult, or defame any person, the offender can be charged with imprisonment for up to five years, or a fine of up to Rs 10,000 or both. The opposition, however, alleged that the new amendments would give more power to police and can lead to obstruction of freedom of speech and expression and is a threat to free press, and may lead to partial journalism in the state. Meanwhile, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan on November 22 clarified that the new amendment made to the Kerala Police Act “will in no way be used to curtail free speech or impartial journalism”. Vijayan issued a statement, clarifying that the new amendment will not be used against free speech and added that “apprehensions to the contrary are unfounded”. Congress's Shashi Tharoor, the MP from Kerala's Thiruvananthapuram, called it "troubling" and pointing out that the ordinance was "so loosely drafted it could also be used against political opponents".

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