Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 73
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
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Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Code Context


        trigger_error($message, E_USER_DEPRECATED);

    }
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 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php.'
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deprecationWarning - CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311
Cake\Http\ServerRequest::offsetGet() - CORE/src/Http/ServerRequest.php, line 2421
App\Controller\ArtileDetailController::printArticle() - APP/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line 74
Cake\Controller\Controller::invokeAction() - CORE/src/Controller/Controller.php, line 610
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::_invoke() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 120
Cake\Http\ActionDispatcher::dispatch() - CORE/src/Http/ActionDispatcher.php, line 94
Cake\Http\BaseApplication::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/BaseApplication.php, line 235
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\RoutingMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/RoutingMiddleware.php, line 162
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Routing\Middleware\AssetMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Routing/Middleware/AssetMiddleware.php, line 88
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Error\Middleware\ErrorHandlerMiddleware::__invoke() - CORE/src/Error/Middleware/ErrorHandlerMiddleware.php, line 96
Cake\Http\Runner::__invoke() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 65
Cake\Http\Runner::run() - CORE/src/Http/Runner.php, line 51
Cake\Http\Server::run() - CORE/src/Http/Server.php, line 98

Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Code Context
            if (Configure::read('debug')) {

                trigger_error($message, E_USER_WARNING);

            } else {
$response = object(Cake\Http\Response) {

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-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law&#039;s repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn&#039;t have had to step in. Last week, the apex court issued notices to the Centre and five states in connection with a PIL questioning the legal soundness of Section 66A. It sought explanations for arrests made under this law, including Maharashtra police&#039;s apprehending of two young women for an innocuous Facebook post.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Clearly, little has been done to check the law&#039;s abuse. The Union government has merely spoken of educating law enforcers on the Section&#039;s judicious application. More recently, it&#039;s proposed denying junior police the power to invoke the law. Officers not below the rank of inspector general in cities, and of deputy commissioner in rural areas and non-metros, are to be the deciding authorities. However, rampant political interference in law enforcement is itself a burning issue. So, to argue that senior police officers will always resist mob pressure or political diktats isn&#039;t persuasive.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Too many outrageous infringements on civil liberties have occurred for faith to be reposed in discretionary invoking of Section 66A. Adding to public misgivings is high-handed police action, evident in the cases involving the two women or, earlier, two Air India employees in Maharashtra, or a professor in Kolkata. Instead of debating panaceas of doubtful efficacy, let&#039;s see policemen accused of harassing citizens with arbitrary arrests probed and punished. That&#039;ll have more deterrent value.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Let&#039;s also recognise Section 66A&#039;s misuse flows from its draconian nature and imprecise terminology. People can face up to three years&#039; jail for electronic communications that &amp;quot;grossly&amp;quot; offend or cause &amp;quot;annoyance or inconvenience&amp;quot;, or, in case of information known to be false, cause &amp;quot;danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, or ill will&amp;quot;. Clubbed together, this amounts to gagging citizens in a day and age the internet&#039;s an indispensable everyday platform for exchange of news and views. Surely living in a democracy means being able to say things that others, however high and mighty, may not like. That&#039;s why the government can&#039;t avoid doing one of two things. It can radically narrow Section 66A&#039;s scope, removing all ambiguity about what constitutes crime. Or it can throw it out, since specific cyber offences can be covered under existing laws which already deal with libel, defamation, threats and intimidation. Doing neither isn&#039;t an option. &lt;br /&gt;
&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law&#039;s repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn&#039;t have had to step in. Last week, the apex court issued notices to the Centre and five states in connection with a PIL questioning the legal soundness of Section 66A. It sought explanations for arrests made under this law, including Maharashtra police&#039;s apprehending of two young women for an innocuous Facebook post.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Clearly, little has been done to check the law&#039;s abuse. The Union government has merely spoken of educating law enforcers on the Section&#039;s judicious application. More recently, it&#039;s proposed denying junior police the power to invoke the law. Officers not below the rank of inspector general in cities, and of deputy commissioner in rural areas and non-metros, are to be the deciding authorities. However, rampant political interference in law enforcement is itself a burning issue. So, to argue that senior police officers will always resist mob pressure or political diktats isn&#039;t persuasive.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Too many outrageous infringements on civil liberties have occurred for faith to be reposed in discretionary invoking of Section 66A. Adding to public misgivings is high-handed police action, evident in the cases involving the two women or, earlier, two Air India employees in Maharashtra, or a professor in Kolkata. Instead of debating panaceas of doubtful efficacy, let&#039;s see policemen accused of harassing citizens with arbitrary arrests probed and punished. That&#039;ll have more deterrent value.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let&#039;s also recognise Section 66A&#039;s misuse flows from its draconian nature and imprecise terminology. People can face up to three years&#039; jail for electronic communications that &amp;quot;grossly&amp;quot; offend or cause &amp;quot;annoyance or inconvenience&amp;quot;, or, in case of information known to be false, cause &amp;quot;danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, or ill will&amp;quot;. Clubbed together, this amounts to gagging citizens in a day and age the internet&#039;s an indispensable everyday platform for exchange of news and views. Surely living in a democracy means being able to say things that others, however high and mighty, may not like. That&#039;s why the government can&#039;t avoid doing one of two things. It can radically narrow Section 66A&#039;s scope, removing all ambiguity about what constitutes crime. Or it can throw it out, since specific cyber offences can be covered under existing laws which already deal with libel, defamation, threats and intimidation. Doing neither isn&#039;t an option. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
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The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law's repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn't have had to step in...."/>
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                <strong>Free the people: IT Act&#039;s Section 66A, as it stands, has no place in a democracy</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Times of India<br /><br />The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law's repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn't have had to step in. Last week, the apex court issued notices to the Centre and five states in connection with a PIL questioning the legal soundness of Section 66A. It sought explanations for arrests made under this law, including Maharashtra police's apprehending of two young women for an innocuous Facebook post.<br /><br />Clearly, little has been done to check the law's abuse. The Union government has merely spoken of educating law enforcers on the Section's judicious application. More recently, it's proposed denying junior police the power to invoke the law. Officers not below the rank of inspector general in cities, and of deputy commissioner in rural areas and non-metros, are to be the deciding authorities. However, rampant political interference in law enforcement is itself a burning issue. So, to argue that senior police officers will always resist mob pressure or political diktats isn't persuasive.<br /><br />Too many outrageous infringements on civil liberties have occurred for faith to be reposed in discretionary invoking of Section 66A. Adding to public misgivings is high-handed police action, evident in the cases involving the two women or, earlier, two Air India employees in Maharashtra, or a professor in Kolkata. Instead of debating panaceas of doubtful efficacy, let's see policemen accused of harassing citizens with arbitrary arrests probed and punished. That'll have more deterrent value.<br /><br />Let's also recognise Section 66A's misuse flows from its draconian nature and imprecise terminology. People can face up to three years' jail for electronic communications that &quot;grossly&quot; offend or cause &quot;annoyance or inconvenience&quot;, or, in case of information known to be false, cause &quot;danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, or ill will&quot;. Clubbed together, this amounts to gagging citizens in a day and age the internet's an indispensable everyday platform for exchange of news and views. Surely living in a democracy means being able to say things that others, however high and mighty, may not like. That's why the government can't avoid doing one of two things. It can radically narrow Section 66A's scope, removing all ambiguity about what constitutes crime. Or it can throw it out, since specific cyber offences can be covered under existing laws which already deal with libel, defamation, threats and intimidation. Doing neither isn't an option. <br /></div>               </font>
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</span></span></code>
<span class="code-highlight"><code><span style="color: #000000">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&lt;link&nbsp;rel="canonical"&nbsp;href="<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">Configure</span><span style="color: #007700">::</span><span style="color: #0000BB">read</span><span style="color: #007700">(</span><span style="color: #DD0000">'SITE_URL'</span><span style="color: #007700">);&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$urlPrefix</span><span style="color: #007700">;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">category</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">slug</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>/<span style="color: #0000BB">&lt;?php&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">echo&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">$article_current</span><span style="color: #007700">-&gt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">seo_url</span><span style="color: #007700">;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">?&gt;</span>.html"/&gt;
</span></code></span>
<code><span style="color: #000000"><span style="color: #0000BB">&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #007700">&lt;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">meta&nbsp;http</span><span style="color: #007700">-</span><span style="color: #0000BB">equiv</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"Content-Type"&nbsp;</span><span style="color: #0000BB">content</span><span style="color: #007700">=</span><span style="color: #DD0000">"text/html;&nbsp;charset=utf-8"</span><span style="color: #007700">/&gt;
</span></span></code></pre><pre id="cakeErr680393ceee60c-context" class="cake-context" style="display: none;">$viewFile = &#039;/home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp&#039;
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-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law&#039;s repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn&#039;t have had to step in. Last week, the apex court issued notices to the Centre and five states in connection with a PIL questioning the legal soundness of Section 66A. It sought explanations for arrests made under this law, including Maharashtra police&#039;s apprehending of two young women for an innocuous Facebook post.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
Too many outrageous infringements on civil liberties have occurred for faith to be reposed in discretionary invoking of Section 66A. Adding to public misgivings is high-handed police action, evident in the cases involving the two women or, earlier, two Air India employees in Maharashtra, or a professor in Kolkata. Instead of debating panaceas of doubtful efficacy, let&#039;s see policemen accused of harassing citizens with arbitrary arrests probed and punished. That&#039;ll have more deterrent value.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law&#039;s repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn&#039;t have had to step in. Last week, the apex court issued notices to the Centre and five states in connection with a PIL questioning the legal soundness of Section 66A. It sought explanations for arrests made under this law, including Maharashtra police&#039;s apprehending of two young women for an innocuous Facebook post.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Clearly, little has been done to check the law&#039;s abuse. The Union government has merely spoken of educating law enforcers on the Section&#039;s judicious application. More recently, it&#039;s proposed denying junior police the power to invoke the law. Officers not below the rank of inspector general in cities, and of deputy commissioner in rural areas and non-metros, are to be the deciding authorities. However, rampant political interference in law enforcement is itself a burning issue. So, to argue that senior police officers will always resist mob pressure or political diktats isn&#039;t persuasive.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Too many outrageous infringements on civil liberties have occurred for faith to be reposed in discretionary invoking of Section 66A. Adding to public misgivings is high-handed police action, evident in the cases involving the two women or, earlier, two Air India employees in Maharashtra, or a professor in Kolkata. Instead of debating panaceas of doubtful efficacy, let&#039;s see policemen accused of harassing citizens with arbitrary arrests probed and punished. That&#039;ll have more deterrent value.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let&#039;s also recognise Section 66A&#039;s misuse flows from its draconian nature and imprecise terminology. People can face up to three years&#039; jail for electronic communications that &amp;quot;grossly&amp;quot; offend or cause &amp;quot;annoyance or inconvenience&amp;quot;, or, in case of information known to be false, cause &amp;quot;danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, or ill will&amp;quot;. Clubbed together, this amounts to gagging citizens in a day and age the internet&#039;s an indispensable everyday platform for exchange of news and views. Surely living in a democracy means being able to say things that others, however high and mighty, may not like. That&#039;s why the government can&#039;t avoid doing one of two things. It can radically narrow Section 66A&#039;s scope, removing all ambiguity about what constitutes crime. Or it can throw it out, since specific cyber offences can be covered under existing laws which already deal with libel, defamation, threats and intimidation. Doing neither isn&#039;t an option. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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&lt;br /&gt;
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-The Times of India

The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law's repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn't have had to step in...."/>
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                <strong>Free the people: IT Act&#039;s Section 66A, as it stands, has no place in a democracy</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Times of India<br /><br />The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law's repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn't have had to step in. Last week, the apex court issued notices to the Centre and five states in connection with a PIL questioning the legal soundness of Section 66A. It sought explanations for arrests made under this law, including Maharashtra police's apprehending of two young women for an innocuous Facebook post.<br /><br />Clearly, little has been done to check the law's abuse. The Union government has merely spoken of educating law enforcers on the Section's judicious application. More recently, it's proposed denying junior police the power to invoke the law. Officers not below the rank of inspector general in cities, and of deputy commissioner in rural areas and non-metros, are to be the deciding authorities. However, rampant political interference in law enforcement is itself a burning issue. So, to argue that senior police officers will always resist mob pressure or political diktats isn't persuasive.<br /><br />Too many outrageous infringements on civil liberties have occurred for faith to be reposed in discretionary invoking of Section 66A. Adding to public misgivings is high-handed police action, evident in the cases involving the two women or, earlier, two Air India employees in Maharashtra, or a professor in Kolkata. Instead of debating panaceas of doubtful efficacy, let's see policemen accused of harassing citizens with arbitrary arrests probed and punished. That'll have more deterrent value.<br /><br />Let's also recognise Section 66A's misuse flows from its draconian nature and imprecise terminology. People can face up to three years' jail for electronic communications that &quot;grossly&quot; offend or cause &quot;annoyance or inconvenience&quot;, or, in case of information known to be false, cause &quot;danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, or ill will&quot;. Clubbed together, this amounts to gagging citizens in a day and age the internet's an indispensable everyday platform for exchange of news and views. Surely living in a democracy means being able to say things that others, however high and mighty, may not like. That's why the government can't avoid doing one of two things. It can radically narrow Section 66A's scope, removing all ambiguity about what constitutes crime. Or it can throw it out, since specific cyber offences can be covered under existing laws which already deal with libel, defamation, threats and intimidation. Doing neither isn't an option. <br /></div>               </font>
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-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law&#039;s repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn&#039;t have had to step in. Last week, the apex court issued notices to the Centre and five states in connection with a PIL questioning the legal soundness of Section 66A. It sought explanations for arrests made under this law, including Maharashtra police&#039;s apprehending of two young women for an innocuous Facebook post.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
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&lt;br /&gt;
Too many outrageous infringements on civil liberties have occurred for faith to be reposed in discretionary invoking of Section 66A. Adding to public misgivings is high-handed police action, evident in the cases involving the two women or, earlier, two Air India employees in Maharashtra, or a professor in Kolkata. Instead of debating panaceas of doubtful efficacy, let&#039;s see policemen accused of harassing citizens with arbitrary arrests probed and punished. That&#039;ll have more deterrent value.&lt;br /&gt;
&lt;br /&gt;
Let&#039;s also recognise Section 66A&#039;s misuse flows from its draconian nature and imprecise terminology. People can face up to three years&#039; jail for electronic communications that &amp;quot;grossly&amp;quot; offend or cause &amp;quot;annoyance or inconvenience&amp;quot;, or, in case of information known to be false, cause &amp;quot;danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, or ill will&amp;quot;. Clubbed together, this amounts to gagging citizens in a day and age the internet&#039;s an indispensable everyday platform for exchange of news and views. Surely living in a democracy means being able to say things that others, however high and mighty, may not like. That&#039;s why the government can&#039;t avoid doing one of two things. It can radically narrow Section 66A&#039;s scope, removing all ambiguity about what constitutes crime. Or it can throw it out, since specific cyber offences can be covered under existing laws which already deal with libel, defamation, threats and intimidation. Doing neither isn&#039;t an option. &lt;br /&gt;
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	&#039;disp&#039; =&gt; &#039;&lt;div align=&quot;justify&quot;&gt;-The Times of India&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law&#039;s repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn&#039;t have had to step in. Last week, the apex court issued notices to the Centre and five states in connection with a PIL questioning the legal soundness of Section 66A. It sought explanations for arrests made under this law, including Maharashtra police&#039;s apprehending of two young women for an innocuous Facebook post.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Clearly, little has been done to check the law&#039;s abuse. The Union government has merely spoken of educating law enforcers on the Section&#039;s judicious application. More recently, it&#039;s proposed denying junior police the power to invoke the law. Officers not below the rank of inspector general in cities, and of deputy commissioner in rural areas and non-metros, are to be the deciding authorities. However, rampant political interference in law enforcement is itself a burning issue. So, to argue that senior police officers will always resist mob pressure or political diktats isn&#039;t persuasive.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Too many outrageous infringements on civil liberties have occurred for faith to be reposed in discretionary invoking of Section 66A. Adding to public misgivings is high-handed police action, evident in the cases involving the two women or, earlier, two Air India employees in Maharashtra, or a professor in Kolkata. Instead of debating panaceas of doubtful efficacy, let&#039;s see policemen accused of harassing citizens with arbitrary arrests probed and punished. That&#039;ll have more deterrent value.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Let&#039;s also recognise Section 66A&#039;s misuse flows from its draconian nature and imprecise terminology. People can face up to three years&#039; jail for electronic communications that &amp;quot;grossly&amp;quot; offend or cause &amp;quot;annoyance or inconvenience&amp;quot;, or, in case of information known to be false, cause &amp;quot;danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, or ill will&amp;quot;. Clubbed together, this amounts to gagging citizens in a day and age the internet&#039;s an indispensable everyday platform for exchange of news and views. Surely living in a democracy means being able to say things that others, however high and mighty, may not like. That&#039;s why the government can&#039;t avoid doing one of two things. It can radically narrow Section 66A&#039;s scope, removing all ambiguity about what constitutes crime. Or it can throw it out, since specific cyber offences can be covered under existing laws which already deal with libel, defamation, threats and intimidation. Doing neither isn&#039;t an option. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;/div&gt;&#039;,
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-The Times of India

The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law&#039;s repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn&#039;t have had to step in....&#039;
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-The Times of India

The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law's repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn't have had to step in...."/>
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                <strong>Free the people: IT Act&#039;s Section 66A, as it stands, has no place in a democracy</strong></h1>
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                <div align="justify">-The Times of India<br /><br />The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law's repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn't have had to step in. Last week, the apex court issued notices to the Centre and five states in connection with a PIL questioning the legal soundness of Section 66A. It sought explanations for arrests made under this law, including Maharashtra police's apprehending of two young women for an innocuous Facebook post.<br /><br />Clearly, little has been done to check the law's abuse. The Union government has merely spoken of educating law enforcers on the Section's judicious application. More recently, it's proposed denying junior police the power to invoke the law. Officers not below the rank of inspector general in cities, and of deputy commissioner in rural areas and non-metros, are to be the deciding authorities. However, rampant political interference in law enforcement is itself a burning issue. So, to argue that senior police officers will always resist mob pressure or political diktats isn't persuasive.<br /><br />Too many outrageous infringements on civil liberties have occurred for faith to be reposed in discretionary invoking of Section 66A. Adding to public misgivings is high-handed police action, evident in the cases involving the two women or, earlier, two Air India employees in Maharashtra, or a professor in Kolkata. Instead of debating panaceas of doubtful efficacy, let's see policemen accused of harassing citizens with arbitrary arrests probed and punished. That'll have more deterrent value.<br /><br />Let's also recognise Section 66A's misuse flows from its draconian nature and imprecise terminology. People can face up to three years' jail for electronic communications that &quot;grossly&quot; offend or cause &quot;annoyance or inconvenience&quot;, or, in case of information known to be false, cause &quot;danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, or ill will&quot;. Clubbed together, this amounts to gagging citizens in a day and age the internet's an indispensable everyday platform for exchange of news and views. Surely living in a democracy means being able to say things that others, however high and mighty, may not like. That's why the government can't avoid doing one of two things. It can radically narrow Section 66A's scope, removing all ambiguity about what constitutes crime. Or it can throw it out, since specific cyber offences can be covered under existing laws which already deal with libel, defamation, threats and intimidation. Doing neither isn't an option. <br /></div>               </font>
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-The Times of India<br />
<br />
The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law's repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn't have had to step in. Last week, the apex court issued notices to the Centre and five states in connection with a PIL questioning the legal soundness of Section 66A. It sought explanations for arrests made under this law, including Maharashtra police's apprehending of two young women for an innocuous Facebook post.<br />
<br />
Clearly, little has been done to check the law's abuse. The Union government has merely spoken of educating law enforcers on the Section's judicious application. More recently, it's proposed denying junior police the power to invoke the law. Officers not below the rank of inspector general in cities, and of deputy commissioner in rural areas and non-metros, are to be the deciding authorities. However, rampant political interference in law enforcement is itself a burning issue. So, to argue that senior police officers will always resist mob pressure or political diktats isn't persuasive.<br />
<br />
Too many outrageous infringements on civil liberties have occurred for faith to be reposed in discretionary invoking of Section 66A. Adding to public misgivings is high-handed police action, evident in the cases involving the two women or, earlier, two Air India employees in Maharashtra, or a professor in Kolkata. Instead of debating panaceas of doubtful efficacy, let's see policemen accused of harassing citizens with arbitrary arrests probed and punished. That'll have more deterrent value.<br />
<br />
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-The Times of India<br />
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The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law's repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn't have had to step in. Last week, the apex court issued notices to the Centre and five states in connection with a PIL questioning the legal soundness of Section 66A. It sought explanations for arrests made under this law, including Maharashtra police's apprehending of two young women for an innocuous Facebook post.<br />
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Free the people: IT Act's Section 66A, as it stands, has no place in a democracy

-The Times of India The UPA government has itself to blame for being red-faced over Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. Had it come down heavily on the law's repeated misuse, the Supreme Court wouldn't have had to step in. Last week, the apex court issued notices to the Centre and five states in connection with a PIL questioning the legal soundness of Section 66A. It sought explanations for arrests made under this law, including Maharashtra police's apprehending of two young women for an innocuous Facebook post. Clearly, little has been done to check the law's abuse. The Union government has merely spoken of educating law enforcers on the Section's judicious application. More recently, it's proposed denying junior police the power to invoke the law. Officers not below the rank of inspector general in cities, and of deputy commissioner in rural areas and non-metros, are to be the deciding authorities. However, rampant political interference in law enforcement is itself a burning issue. So, to argue that senior police officers will always resist mob pressure or political diktats isn't persuasive. Too many outrageous infringements on civil liberties have occurred for faith to be reposed in discretionary invoking of Section 66A. Adding to public misgivings is high-handed police action, evident in the cases involving the two women or, earlier, two Air India employees in Maharashtra, or a professor in Kolkata. Instead of debating panaceas of doubtful efficacy, let's see policemen accused of harassing citizens with arbitrary arrests probed and punished. That'll have more deterrent value. Let's also recognise Section 66A's misuse flows from its draconian nature and imprecise terminology. People can face up to three years' jail for electronic communications that "grossly" offend or cause "annoyance or inconvenience", or, in case of information known to be false, cause "danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred, or ill will". Clubbed together, this amounts to gagging citizens in a day and age the internet's an indispensable everyday platform for exchange of news and views. Surely living in a democracy means being able to say things that others, however high and mighty, may not like. That's why the government can't avoid doing one of two things. It can radically narrow Section 66A's scope, removing all ambiguity about what constitutes crime. Or it can throw it out, since specific cyber offences can be covered under existing laws which already deal with libel, defamation, threats and intimidation. Doing neither isn't an option.