New Delhi: Following a Supreme Court order on the removal of the deceased’s identity in Kolkata’s RG Kar Medical College rape and murder incident, the Centre today asked all social media platforms operating in India to comply with the apex court’s order and also inform the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (Meity) about the action taken by them in this regard.
The Supreme Court, in its injunctive order dated August 20, 2024, in the matter titled’ Kinnori Ghosh @ Anr. versus Union of India & Ors– Re: Circulation of name and photographs of deceased in RG Kar Medical College incident’, has directed that all references to the name of the deceased, along with any photographs and video clips depicting the deceased, be promptly removed from all social media platforms and electronic media.
This directive follows concerns regarding the dissemination of sensitive material related to the incident in question. The Court said it was “constrained” to issue an injunctive order since the social and electronic media proceeded to publish the identity of the deceased and photographs of the dead body after the recovery of the body.
“We accordingly direct that all references to the name of the deceased in the above incident, photographs and video clips shall forthwith be removed from all social media platforms and electronic media in compliance with this order,” the court said.
In light of the order, Meity today emphasized the importance of adhering to the Court’s directive to safeguard the privacy and dignity of individuals involved and therefore social media platforms are required to take immediate action to ensure compliance with this order. It urged all social media companies to ensure that such sensitive information is not further disseminated. “Failure to comply with the Supreme Court’s order may result in legal consequences and further regulatory action,” it warned.
– global bihari bureau
