Farmers protest: Govt threatens penal action against Twitter for not complying with directives

The Centre has issued a notice to Twitter to comply with its order to remove contents/accounts related to "farmer genocide". Twitter may face penal action for not complying with government orders, according to the sources.

Content with the 'ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide' hashtag was posted on Twitter which was designed to inflame passions and hatred and is factually incorrect, according to the sources.

Twitter had unilaterally unblocked accounts/tweets despite the government order for blocking. Twitter is an intermediary and it is obliged to obey the direction of the government, refusal to do so will invite penal action.

Twitter cannot sit as an appellate authority over the satisfaction of the authorities about its potential impact on derailing public order. It is only an intermediary, said sources.

This is a motivated campaign to abuse, inflame and create tension in society on unsubstantiated grounds, the sources added.

"Incitement to genocide is not freedom of speech, it is a threat to law and order. The Government notice quotes more than half a dozen Supreme Court judgments including Constitutional benches as to what is public order and what are the rights of authorities," the sources said.