In final stages of appointing interim resident grievance officer: Twitter tells Delhi HC
New Delhi, Jul 3: Twitter has told the Delhi High Court that it is in the "final stages" of appointing an interim chief compliance officer and an interim resident grievance officer under the new Information Technology (IT) Rules.
In the meantime, grievances raised by Indian users are being looked into by a grievance officer, it said in an affidavit submitted in response to a plea by lawyer Amit Acharya, in which he claimed non-compliance of the Centre's new IT Rules by the platform.
The micro-blogging site has also said it may fall within the definition of a "significant social media intermediary" under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
The rules seek to regulate dissemination and publication of content in cyber space, including social media platforms, and were notified in February by the central government.
Twitter said in "substantial compliance" with Rule 3(2) and Rule 4(1)(c) of the new IT Rules, it did appoint an interim resident grievance officer.
However, even before steps could be taken to completely formalise the arrangement, the interim resident grievance officer withdrew his candidature on June 21, it said and denied that it has not complied with the intermediary guidelines.
Twitter said that "before steps could be taken to completely formalise the agreement, the interim resident grievance officer withdrew his candidature on 21.06.2021. Therefore, the answering respondent (Twitter) is in the final stages of appointing a replacement while in the meanwhile the grievances of Indian users are being addressed by the grievance officer".
"Further, the answering respondent is in the final stages of appointing an interim chief compliance officer," it told the high court in its affidavit.
In his plea, filed through advocates Akash Vajpai and Manish Kumar, Acharya said that he came to know about the alleged non-compliance when he tried to lodge a complaint against a couple of tweets.
Twitter has argued that the plea is not maintainable as a writ petition and that Acharya moved the court "prematurely" without waiting for the redressal of his grievance under the rules.
It said Acharya had no locus standi to raise a complaint with respect to the tweets in question and added it has informed that the complaint has now been considered and disposed of.
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India eye U17 Women's Asian Cup history in decisive Lebanon clash
Suzhou (China) (PTI): Having lost to two continental heavyweights, India face a must-win game against Lebanon in the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup here on Friday, knowing that victory could seal a first-ever qualification to the knockout stage of the competition.
After losing to Australia (0-2)and Japan (0-3) in Group B, the equation for India has become clear: one final match and one final chance to make the quarter-finals.
India are alive in the race for the knockout stage as one of the two best third-placed teams.
India currently hold a superior goal difference of -5 compared to Group C sides Philippines (-13) and Chinese Taipei (-14), who face each other on the final matchday.
That means either side would require a heavy-margin victory to overtake India’s goal difference if the Young Tigresses defeat Lebanon.
Furthermore, if Thursday evening's Group A fixture between Vietnam and Myanmar ends in a draw or the latter wins by less than three goals, India will confirm their place in the last eight with a victory, irrespective of the Group C result.
For India, playing their first AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup in 21 years, progressing beyond the group stage would mark a historic achievement.
Head coach Pamela Conti expects a very different challenge against Lebanon compared to the previous two matches.
The Italian believes the contest will demand more attacking flair since both teams require a win to qualify.
The West Asians, making their debut in the tournament, opened with a 0-13 loss against Japan, followed by a sensational point in a 1-1 draw with Australia.
"I watched Lebanon's game against Australia that ended 1-1. They are a team at our level, but they have very good attacking players. We need to be careful and not open up too much, because they can hurt us on the counter-attack," said Conti.
Unlike the opening two matches, where India spent large phases defending deep against physically and technically superior opponents, the Young Tigresses now have to play with greater attacking intent.
On Wednesday, the girls had recovery sessions indoors in the gym and the swimming pool. On Thursday, they had a 90-minute official training session involving tactical and set-piece work, and small-sided games.
Conti revealed that the team had long anticipated this decisive final group-stage encounter.
"I expect the girls to continue working hard and giving everything. I trust them a lot. We have prepared for this. We knew our qualification would come down to the match against Lebanon, and now we must give it everything," she said.
The stakes are not lost on the squad.
For a generation returning India to the AFC U17 Women's Asian Cup after more than two decades, the possibility of reaching the quarter-finals would represent another milestone in what has already been a landmark year for Indian women's football across senior, U20 and U17 levels.
While the former two could not make the last eight in their respective tournaments earlier this year, the U17 now have the golden opportunity to make it happen.
"If we qualify, it will be an incredible achievement for everyone, and for the country. We are focused on giving that joy to the nation. I hope it happens for the staff, for us, and especially for the players, because they are the protagonists," Conti said.
