Bombay High Court Strikes Down Centre's IT Rules for Fact-Checking Unit

The court ruled the amendments unconstitutional, citing violations of free speech and equality principles.

The Bombay High Court invalidated the 2023 amendments to the Information Technology Rules, which allowed the central government to establish Fact-Checking Units (FCUs).
Justice AS Chandurkar deemed the rules violative of Articles 14 and 19 of the Indian Constitution, which guarantee equality and freedom of speech.
The case was initially split between Justices Gautam Patel and Neela Gokhale, leading to a referral to Justice Chandurkar for a final decision.
Petitioners, including satirist Kunal Kamra and the Editors Guild of India, argued that the rules would lead to government censorship and a chilling effect on free speech.
The Supreme Court had previously stayed the implementation of the FCUs pending the High Court's decision, emphasizing the serious constitutional questions involved.