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Supreme Court accepts student's petition challenging Section 66(A) -Amit Chaturvedi

-NDTV

The arrest of two young women from Maharashtra for their Facebook posts has led to a national debate over Section 66(A) of the IT Act.

The Supreme Court today will hear a public interest litigation (PIL) that challenges this portion of the Act, which deals with punishment for sending "offensive messages" through a computer or communication device.

The case has been filed by a student named Shreya Singhal. She alleges that Section 66(A) is unconstitutional because of its wide powers.

The Chief Justice of India, Altamas Kabir, accepted her petition and listed it for hearing immediately. He said in court, "We were wondering why no one has approached the Supreme Court (over this) and even thought of taking up the issue suo moto."

After Shiv Sena president Bal Thackeray died earlier this month, a woman named Shaheen Dhada posted a message on Facebook criticising the shutdown in Mumbai for Mr Thackeray's cremation. The city's shops closed and streets were deserted; thousands of policemen guarded the financial capital in anticipation of violence by Shiv Sainiks.

Shaheen's friend, Rinu Srinivasan, liked her Facebook post. Both were arrested, provoking national outrage. The policemen who arrested them have been suspended. But in their home town of Palghar yesterday, where the Sena is powerful, the party called a bandh or strike yesterday protesting against the action taken against the policemen.