11 hours ago
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Laws of expression or silence?
The Government of Karnataka has proposed a Misinformation and Fake News (Prohibition) Act, which will crack down on digital content, making punishable by law, posts that are deemed offensive. What constitutes offense is a varied and possibly contradictory mix: 'anti-feminist', 'disrespectful of Sanatan symbols', 'obscene', 'promotes superstition' and 'abusive' are among the phrases listed in coverage of the proposed Act, which has been in the works for two years. Should it be passed, those found guilty will face jail terms of up to seven years and fines of up to `10 lakh.
A major red flag in the proposed Karnataka Misinformation and Fake News (Prohibition) Act is the inclusion of the term 'anti-feminist'. What does misogyny really mean in the context of protecting organised religion? The possibilities for interpretation are very broad. Would, say, an action like a public figure choosing to wear Western attire to her own wedding be deliberately read as an insult to womanly values as per the establishment?
