Rajasekharan sworn-in as new Mizoram Governor
Aizawl, May 29: Kummanam Rajasekharan, who was the BJP's Kerala unit chief and a RSS activist, was on Tuesday sworn-in as the 23rd Governor of Mizoram.
Gauhati High Court Chief Justice Ajit Singh administered the oath of office to the new Governor at a simple ceremony in the Durbar hall of Raj Bhavan here.
Chief Minister Lal Thanhawla, his cabinet colleagues, Chief Secretary Arvind Ray, leaders of various political parties, senior civil and police officials and other dignitaries were present in the swearing-in-ceremony.
President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Rajasekharan as the Governor of Mizoram, which has earned the dubious distinction of seeing ten governors since BJP-led National Democratic Alliance government came to power in May 2014.
He succeeded Lt. General Nirbhay Sharma (retd), whose tenure ended on Monday.
Rajasekharan began his political career as a Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) activist in the 1970s and became chief of the Bharatiya Janata Party's Ker unit in 2015.
Several organisations including Global Council of Indian Christians (GCIC) and People's Representation for Identity and Status of Mizoram (PRISM) had opposed Rajasekharan's appointment.
These organisations in separate statements said that "he was not suitable for the Governor's post as he is an "active member of the RSS and was involved with the Vishwa Hindu Parishad".
"Posting a "political person" with an RSS background in could impact politics in Mizoram," the PRISM said in its statement.
Elections to the 40-seat assembly in the Christian-dominated Mizoram assembly would be held this year end.
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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.
