Though having defended the constitutional validity of Section 66(A) of IT Act in the Supreme Court, the NDA Government on Tuesday said that there was no parallel between its stand and that of UPA regime. The Government alleged that its predecessor UPA dispensation tried to make it “an instrument to curb dissent, satire and anything else which did not suit it”.
Reacting to the Supreme Court judgement striking down Section 66(A) of the Information Technology Act, Communications and IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said if the security establishment feels there is need to consider certain aspects in the light of the order, these shall be considered in a proper structured way with due safeguards so that the constitutional rights are not frustrated.
“There can be no parallel of our stand on this matter with that of the previous UPA regime. We have in writing confirmed that we stand for freedom of speech and expression, while the previous UPA Government tried to make this law an instrument to curb dissent, satire and anything else which did not suit it,” he told reporters.
He said the Government welcomes SC decision. When the UPA Government came out with “draconian” provisions under 66(A), the BJP had opposed it and said that “66 is unacceptable in current form,” he asserted. Prasad said the Government had filed an affidavit before the SC making its stand clear that it respects the freedom of speech and expression.
“Central Government encourages beneficial use of cyber space and the Act only seeks to regulate the use of cyber space which would fall within any of or all categories stipulated under Article 19(2) of the Constitution of India,” the affidavit had said.