Congress slams government for failing to reduce fuel prices
New Delhi, May 29: Slamming the Narendra Modi government for failing to reduce prices of petroleum products, the Congress said it is only engaged only in managing elections and headlines.
The party also sought to remind Prime Minister Modi of the critical position taken by him on the price rise of petroleum products when he was Gujarat Chief Minister.
Addressing a press conference, Congress spokesperson Tom Vadakkan said: "International prices of crude oil have declined by six percent from $80 a barrel on May 23 to $75 per barrel now.
"The Prime Minister and his Petroleum Minister (Dharmendra Pradhan) are saying that they will do something, but it has been 16 days and so far they have not done anything."
"Now CNG-PNG prices have also increased. What will the common man do? Inflation in petroleum products comes with cascading effect on the prices of basic amenities, whether it is consumer goods, transportation cost or bus fare," he added.
The Congress is organising protests at the state and district level to oppose increase in prices of petroleum products, which "has become an important issue in the country, but the government has nothing to do with people's problems".
"This government is engaged only in election management, election propaganda and headline management. People have understood everything and the government's efforts to mislead them will no longer be successful," he added.
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Bombay High Court strikes down Centre's plan to set up Fact-Check Unit
Mumbai: The Bombay High Court has struck down the central government's plan to establish a fact-checking unit (FCU) under the Information Technology Amendment Rules, 2023. The decision comes in response to a petition filed by standup comedian Kunal Kamra, challenging the constitutional validity of the Centre's move.
Justice A.S. Chandurkar, delivering the final verdict, declared that the proposed IT Amendment Rules violated key provisions of the Indian Constitution, namely Articles 14 (right to equality), 19 (freedom of speech and expression), and 19(1)(g) (right to profession).
“I have considered the matter extensively. The impugned rules are violative of Articles 14, 19, and 19(1)(g) of the Constitution of India,” Justice Chandurkar said in his judgment. He further remarked that terms like "fake, false, and misleading" in the IT Rules were "vague" and lacked a clear definition, making them unconstitutional.
This judgment followed a split verdict issued by a division bench of the Bombay High Court in January. The bench, consisting of Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale, was divided in their opinions. While Justice Patel ruled that the IT Rules amounted to censorship and struck them down, Justice Gokhale upheld the rules, arguing that they did not pose a "chilling effect" on free speech, as the petitioners had claimed.
The matter was then referred to a third judge, leading to today's decision. The Supreme Court had previously stayed the Centre's notification that would have made the fact-checking unit operational, stating that the government could not proceed until the Bombay High Court ruled on the case.
Kunal Kamra and other petitioners had argued that the amendments posed unreasonable restrictions on freedom of speech and expression. They contended that the provisions would lead to government-led censorship, effectively granting the government unchecked powers to determine what constitutes 'truth' online. The petitioners further claimed that such powers would turn the government into "prosecutor, judge, and executioner" in matters of online content.
With the Bombay High Court’s ruling, the Centre's move to create fact-checking units has been effectively halted, reaffirming the importance of protecting freedom of speech and expression in the digital space.
