New Delhi, May 9
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed proceedings before various high courts with regard to petitions challenging the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, or the Cable Television Networks (Amendment) Rules, 2021.
The order came from a Bench led by Justice AM Khanwilkar on petitions, including those raising the issue of hate speech and seeking regulations for OTT (over-the-top) platforms.
“We direct stay of further proceedings pending before the high courts in the respective cases or to be filed hereafter until the next date of hearing involving a challenge to the IT Rules or Cable TV (Amendment) Rules, which are the subject matter of proceedings in these cases,” the Bench said, posting the matter for hearing on May 19.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said there were several petitions in the matter pending before the apex court. He said some high courts had stayed the statutory regulations and the Centre had filed special leave petitions against those orders.
“Can your lordships consider granting stay so far as transfer petitions are concerned so that no further orders are passed,” Mehta said.
The Bench also issued notices on the petitions before it in which notices were not yet issued. After the top court stayed further proceedings, one of the advocates appearing in the matter said they had filed a petition before the Kerala High Court which had passed an interim order. “We are not interfering with those interim orders as of now,” it noted. — TNS
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