New Delhi: Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Tuesday cancelled his own government’s controversial order that categorically stated journalists would be punished for generating fake news and said that the matter should be addressed only by the Press Council of India.

However, the Editors Guild while acknowledging the Prime Minister’s withdrawal of the fake news order said it was "deeply disturbed" at the government's selection of the Press Council.

The Press Council, which has limited powers, was reconstituted by the government on March 16.

Among the members nominated by the Lok Sabha is Pratap Sinha, a BJP MP from Karnataka, who defended the founder-editor of Postcard News Mahesh Hegde arrested for fake news last week.

 

— Pratap Simha (@mepratap) March 29, 2018 ">

Hegde was arrested for falsely claiming in a social media post on March 18 that a Jain monk from Karnataka had got injured after being attacked by a Muslim youth. It was found that the monk had been injured in a road accident.

However, Simha was one of those BJP leaders who tweeted in Hegde’s support.

Union Minister Ananth Kumar Hegde and BJP MP Maheish Girri were other party leaders who tweeted in support of Mahesh Hegde.

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Ghaziabad: A 26-year-old woman from Ghaziabad has filed a complaint against her husband and in-laws, accusing them of harassment, body shaming, and demanding dowry. In her complaint, the woman alleges that her husband repeatedly told her she should resemble Bollywood actor Nora Fatehi and body-shamed her for not meeting these expectations.

The woman, a resident of Muradnagar, was married six months ago, with her family reportedly spending over Rs 76 lakh on the wedding. In addition to the lavish wedding, the woman’s family gifted her husband a Mahindra Scorpio, along with cash and jewellery. Despite these expenses, the woman claims her in-laws continued to harass her, demanding more dowry.

The complainant, whose husband is a physical education teacher at a government school, further alleges that he frequently body-shamed her, calling her “fat and ugly.” He allegedly insisted that she exercise for three hours a day, and when she failed to comply, she was deprived of food.

The situation took a darker turn when the woman found she was pregnant two months ago. According to her statement, she informed her mother-in-law, but received no response or support. The woman reportedly claims that her husband later gave her a pill, which she later identified online as being used for abortions. She alleges that when her health began to deteriorate, her in-laws sent her back to her parents’ home. After seeking medical attention, she was informed by doctors that she had suffered a miscarriage.

She also alleged that her husband frequently watched inappropriate content online and was a habitual womaniser.

Assistant Commissioner of Police Saloni Agarwal confirmed that an FIR has been filed at the women’s police station in Ghaziabad and an investigation is underway.