We came across an Order issued by the Collector for the district of Indore, Madhya Pradesh under Section 144(1) of Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC). The Order under paragraph 7 prohibited “comments made on Social Media platforms related to breaking of Corona transmission chain in an unrestrained manner” and threatened prosecution for non-compliance. We filed an application under Section 144(5) of CrPC to the Collector seeking withdrawal of this overbroad Order given that it stifles freedom of speech over the internet. Today, in a major victory for constitutional values and free speech in the pandemic, the Collector, Indore issued another order under S.144(6) CrPC repealing paragraph 7 of the previous order, and replacing it with clearer and more specific language, limiting the prohibition only to "messages or posts on social media that pose a danger to public peace, law and order, and health of the public, and which violate existing covid protocols”
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://internetfreedom.in/indore-collectors-welcome-response/