The law of the land is at the top, not your policy: the parliamentary committee

(PTI) New Delhi, Dt

Amid the ongoing tussle between the central government and microblogging site Twitter over the issue of new IT laws in the country, a panel of parliamentary committees slammed Twitter on Friday, saying the country's law is supreme, not your policy. Appearing before the committee, the parliamentary committee questioned why he should not be fined for violating the laws of the country. In response, Twitter officials told the committee they follow their policies.

After hearing the response from Twitter officials, the parliamentary committee told Twitter that the country's laws are at the top and this is not your policy. Congress MP Shashi Tharoor chaired a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Information and Technology on Friday to discuss issues related to protection of citizens' rights and misuse of the platform. The committee sent a summons to Twitter last week on topics related to the abuse of its platform and the protection of civil rights. The meeting was also attended by officials of the IT Ministry.

Earlier this month, the central government sent a notice to Twitter giving it a final chance to comply with the new IT rules immediately and warned that if Twitter failed to comply with the new rules, the exemption granted to it under the IT Act would be withdrawn. Sources said Twitter India's Public Policy Manager Shagufta Kamran and legal adviser Ayushi Kapoor appeared before the committee.

Representatives of Twitter India recorded a statement on the issue of misuse of social media platforms, protection of citizens' rights. Sources said the committee had lashed out at Twitter India officials. Citing privacy policy from Twitter, the committee said the country's law is big. Not your policy.

"We follow the rules and have appointed our officers," Twitter India told the committee. The committee reminded Twitter that Ireland had also fined it earlier. The committee asked Twitter India to state in writing how many executives of Twitter India have the power to take necessary decisions regarding the rules of the country.

A Twitter India spokesperson said: "We appreciate the opportunity to present our case to the committee. We will continue to work with the Government of India. We are committed to ensuring the safety and transparency of citizens here and adhering to the necessary rules regarding freedom of expression based on online platforms.

Meanwhile, in Ghaziabad, the scope of action on Twitter regarding the beating and shaving of an old man is increasing. Ghaziabad police has issued a notice to Manish Maheshwari, managing director of Twitter India, and asked the Loni Border Police Station to file such a statement within seven days. It is alleged on Twitter that the video of the beating of the old man went viral and sent the wrong message to the society and Twitter did not take any steps to stop the spread of the video and allowed it to go viral. Police sent the notice to Twitter's Mumbai office. Police have sent the notice to Manish Maheshwari under Section 120 of the CRPC.