The central government’s attempt to set up a fact-checking unit has been struck down by the Bombay High Court after standup comic Kunal Kamra filed a petition against the Centre’s move.

Justice AS Chandurkar said the Information Technology Amendment Rules, 2023, which empowers the Centre to set up fact-check units (FCUs) for identifying fake news online, went against Articles 14 and 19 of the Constitution.

“I am of the opinion that the amendments are violative of Article 14 and Article 19  of the Constitution of India,” Justice Chandurkar said, and struck down the proposed IT amendments.

The case had gone to a third judge after a division bench of the Bombay High Court in January delivered a split verdict in this matter.

It’s the third judge’s verdict that came today.

In March, the Supreme Court stayed a notification by the Centre announcing the operational status of its official fact-check unit (FCU). The Supreme Court had said the Centre can’t go ahead until the Bombay High Court decides on the constitutionality of the matter.

In his first comments since the controversy broke Wednesday, Jagan Mohan Reddy slammed the “false report”, and accused Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu and his TDP of “using faith for politics”.
Shortly before Mr Reddy spoke up the animal fat-ghee-Tirupati laddoo row reached the Supreme Court, with a petition alleging violation of Article 25 of the Constitution, which guarantees the right to freedom of religion, including the right to practice. Meanwhile, the Health Ministry has asked for a “detailed report” and Union Food Minister Pralhad Joshi has called for a detailed inquiry. “… the culprit should be punished,” he told reporters.
Meanwhile, in their first comments in this row, temple authorities accused their ghee supplier of exploiting the lack of in-house food testing facilities. The Executive Officer said not having testing facilities meant they could not conduct routine quality checks.
The squabble over the laddoos erupted Wednesday after Mr Naidu’s TDP this week red-flagged a July 17 report from a state-run lab in Gujarat, which said samples of the ghee from Tirupati tested positive for fish oil, beef tallow, and lard, which is a form of pig fat.
“Even Tirupati laddoo was made with substandard ingredients… they used animal fat instead of ghee,” the Chief Minister raged at a legislature party meeting in Amravati the day before. He said his government had since ensured a higher quality of ingredients, including ghee. He also said the temple premises were to be “sanitised”.
His son and Andhra IT Minister Nara Lokesh said the row was triggered by an anti-corruption probe into alleged irregularities in the purchase of ghee and vegetables used to make the laddoos and free food at the temple. Jana Sena Party leader Pawan Kalyan, also the Deputy Chief Minister, hit out at the “desecration of ‘sanatan dharm‘”.
The YSCP has hit back hard against the allegations. Rajya Sabha MP YV Subba Reddy, the ex-Chairperson of the Tirumala Tirupati Devasthanam – the government-run trust that manages the temple – said it is “unimaginable to even say ‘animal fat was used in consecrated food offered daily to the deity…'”. The YSRCP’s Karunakar Reddy, who was twice the Chairperson, claimed a political vendetta.
The Bharatiya Janata Party, which is allied with the TDP and Jana Sena at the centre, is also up in arms; Union Minister and National General Secretary Bandi Sanjay slammed the “unforgivable sin” against a “very holy prasadam“. He also alleged the ghee issue was because “few people from other religions (had been) inducted” into the board.
The Congress, meanwhile, has been relatively quiet. The party’s Andhra Pradesh unit chief, YS Sharmila, has demanded a CBI inquiry into the animal fat allegations. Ms Sharmila is Jagan Mohan Reddy’s sister, but there is little love lost between the siblings.
The temple kitchen makes around three lakh laddoos daily, with around 1,400 kg of ghee and vast amounts of cashew nuts, raisins, cardamoms, gram flour, and sugar used. Reports indicate the ghee was bought from a supplier in Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul.

With input from agencies

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