Matrimonial dispute: MEA revokes passports of five NRIs
New Delhi, May 30: The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) has decided to revoke the passports of five NRIs against whom Look-out-Circulars (LoC) had been issued by Integrated Nodal Agency (INA), the Ministry of Women and Child Development (WCD) said on Wednesday.
According to the WCD, the INA -- an inter-ministerial body dealing with matrimonial disputes headed by a Secretary, Rakesh Srivastava -- met External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj earlier this week and recommended that the passports of all those who have been issued LoCs be revoked.
The WCD Ministry says it has received 40 cases related to matrimonial disputes relating to NRIs, of which six found to be serious and LoC issued.
The government last month found five cases of matrimonial disputes fit for issuing LoCs and notice was thereafter sent to the concerned NRIs. Earlier this month, the ministry said it had decided to issue another LoC in a matrimonial dispute.
According to the ministry, in criminal matters involving NRIs, the LoC can be issued by the investigating agency in cognisable offences when the overseas husband is deliberately evading arrest or not appearing in the trial court despite non-bailable warrants and other coercive measures, or there is a likelihood that he will leave the country to evade trial or arrest.
The INA had recommended the revocation of passport to the MEA in connection with the sixth LoC issued by it.
The step comes after the WCD Ministry had a fall-out with the Law Ministry on impounding passports and confiscation of the property of those NRI husbands who have been found guilty of deserting their wives and failed to appear in the court.
"The suggestion was presented in front of a group of ministers who approved it. However, the Law Ministry did not support the step. Therefore, we sought a meeting with Sushma Swaraj," an official said.
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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.
