The Modi government has given an ultimatum to Twitter India to either obey its directives or face strict penal actions, which may include huge monetary fines and jail terms for its executives. It must be remembered that Twitter had openly flouted a government directive, asking the microblogging site to ban over 250 accounts and a vitriolic hashtag which was widely trended on January 30. While Twitter did initially ban such accounts, within hours, they were restored after the Left-leaning platform took it upon itself to adjudicate on the validity of such tweets.
Such unilateral action by Twitter has infuriated the Modi government, which has lambasted the social media giant for taking up the role of an “appellate authority” even above the Central government of India. Due to its misadventures, Twitter has now been slapped with a final notice asking for the microblogging site to comply with the Indian IT Ministry’s earlier directive, or face penal action. It is being said that non-compliance on the part of Twitter within the next 48 hours could invite hard action to be taken against it, which could range from jail time for top executives, or even blocking of the app in the country.
The government’s notice quotes more than half a dozen Supreme Court judgments – including those by Constitutional benches related to public order and the rights of authorities. The government further said, “Twitter unilaterally unblocked accounts/tweets despite the government order for blocking…Twitter is an intermediary and they are obliged to obey the direction of the government. Refusal to do so will invite penal action.” A government official meanwhile, added, “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.”
Read more: Twitter restores 250 Twitter accounts posting incendiary content after taking them down
The government has upped the ante against Twitter and is saying that Twitter cannot take up the role of a court and justify non-compliance thereafter. The only way for Twitter to now evade strict government action is if it complies with the IT Ministry’s earlier order.
The restoration of accounts by Twitter has acted as a testimony to the platform’s inherent bias against India’s nationalists and the right-wing, so much so that it readily defied the directions of the government to pander to the country’s coterie of left-liberals. The microblogging platform had sent a resounding signal within India, that hashtags as ludicrous as #ModiPlanningFarmerGenocide are an acceptable form of speech on the platform, while conservatives in the country merely voicing their opinion on any given matter can result in far-reaching consequences.
The Modi government, however, has now turned the tables on Twitter and made it clear that if the microblogging site refuses to obey the directives, it would be inviting hell upon itself – which would range from the American company coughing up a large sum of money to its top executives being lodged in Indian jails.