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Kochi: Oslo-based Algerian-French artist Hanan Benammar witnessed a disturbing incident after her artwork was vandalised by Kerala-based artist PH Hochiman during its exhibition at the Durbar Hall Art Gallery of the Kerala Lalitha Kala Akademi in Kochi. PH Hochiman, who did not regret his act, said that her artwork was obscene. The Algerian-French artist voiced concern over the vandalism, calling it a direct assault on artistic freedom and the right to free expression. ...Read More >
New Delhi (ABC Live): India's Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, form the backbone of online content regulation. These Rules were notified on 25 February 2021 and later amended in October 2022 and April 2023 to enhance user safety and platform accountability. However, after several years of enforcement, it became clear that greater procedural transparency was needed in how unlawful online content was being removed. Therefore, on 23 Octo ...Read More >
In the clip, Javed Akhtar is seen commenting on the current political landscape of India. Singer Lucky Ali called Javed Akhtar "ugly as f**k" after a reel of the noted writer-poet weighing in on the Hindu-Muslim dynamic in the country started doing rounds on social media. But what exactly did Javed Akhtar say that made Lucky Ali lose his cool? In the short video, apparently from a literary event, the lyricist and screenwriter is seen commenting on the current political landscape of India. Ja ...Read More >
New Delhi: The Sholay sequence showing Dharmendra hiding behind a Shiva statue has put Javed Akhtar bang in the centre of an escalating social media debate after his comment that he will never be able to write it today. The undated video, in which the lyricist-writer is discussing freedom of speech and democracy, is back in circulation, prompting singer Lucky Ali, among others to take him on for his views on Muslims -- and Hindus. On Monday, he wrote on X in response to a post on Akhtar's vide ...Read More >
BENGALURU: The feud between Karnataka deputy CM DK Shivakumar and two of Bengaluru's most prominent corporate captains -- Biocon chairperson Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw and former Infosys director TV Mohandas Pai -- escalated Sunday over the city's crumbling infrastructure.Mazumdar-Shaw hit back at Shivakumar's remarks that those criticising govt's handling of Bengaluru's civic issues had a "personal agenda" and had remained silent during previous administrations."Not true. Both TV Mohandas Pai and I ha ...Read More >
Bengaluru, Oct 18 (SocialNews.XYZ) The Karnataka BJP on Saturday lashed out at the Congress-led government in Karnataka for allegedly targeting the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and its supporters in the state. Charging the Congress-led government for removing RSS banners, flags in Chittapura town in Kalaburagi district, the Leader of the Opposition R. Ashoka questioned, "Is Chittapur in India, or is it the Kharge family's own Republic"? Notably, AICC President Mallikarjun Kharge hails fro ...Read More >
New Delhi, Oct 16 (PTI) The right to speech and expression cannot be exercised at the cost of others' dignity and integrity, the Supreme Court said on Thursday as it cautioned about the dangers of "unregulated" social media saying incidents like the recent hurling of shoe towards Chief Justice of India B R Gavai are nothing but "money-spinning ventures". A bench of justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi made the remarks when Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and senior advocate Vikas Singh, who i ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram: Kerala Education Minister V Sivankutty Wednesday October 15, 2025 said the Hijab ban by Kochi's St. Rita's Public School is violation of fundamental rights. A huge row was erupted in Kerala after St. Rita's Public School in Palluruthy, Kochi banned a student from attending classes wearing Hijab or headscarf. She was also made to stand outside her classroom for "violating the school's dress code". Taking note of the incident Sivankutty said the government would not allow sch ...Read More >
BENGALURU: A day after Biocon chief Kiran Mazumdar-Shaw highlighted Bengaluru's "creaking" infrastructure, Karnataka's deputy CM D K Shivakumar Wednesday accused her of "betrayal" and of tarnishing the very state and country that helped her succeed as an entrepreneur.However, people sprang to her defence, accusing the government of displaying hostility towards those who speak up, and of refusing to accept constructive criticism.On her part, Shaw on Wednesday blamed previous governments' inaction ...Read More >
Kochi/T'puram: St Rita's Public School, Palluruthy, on Wednesday rejected the report submitted by the deputy director of education (DDE) Ernakulam which found "serious lapses" by the school in allegedly denying an eighth-standard student entry to class because of wearing a hijab.The school, which opened after remaining closed for two days, termed the report "false and misleading" and said it had sufficient evidence to prove its position. Education minister V Sivankutty, who had directed the scho ...Read More >
The Supreme Court has postponed the hearing on Gitanjali J Angmo's plea challenging Sonam Wangchuk's detention. The court noted her intention to amend the petition. Wangchuk's elder brother and lawyer have met him in Jodhpur jail. The activist was detained under the National Security Act following violent protests in Ladakh. The government accused him of inciting the violence. The Supreme Court on Wednesday adjourned to October 29 the hearing on a plea filed by Sonam Wangchuk's wife Gitanjali J ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 3 (UNI) Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan today expressed deep grief over the demise of veteran journalist and author Thayil Jacob Sony George (TJS George), who passed away in Bengaluru at the age of 97. In his condolence message, the Chief Minister said TJS George was a distinguished editor and a fearless voice in Indian journalism, whose career became a defining chapter in the history of Indian media. "TJS George was a proud contribution from Kerala to Indian and ...Read More >
Thiruvananthapuram Oct 3 (PTI) Politcal leaders in Kerala, including Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan condoled the demise of renowned journalist and author Thayil Jacob Sony George, popularly known as T J S George, who died at a private hospital in Bengaluru on Friday. He was 97. A Padma Bhushan awardee, George was widely respected for his incisive writing, often marked by satire and sarcasm. He served as the Editorial Advisor of The New Indian Express and earned acclaim for his widely read we ...Read More >
New Delhi, September 30: Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) is reportedly facing criticism from UK Energy Minister, Ed Miliband, who suggested that it is "possible" that the government should stop using the platform. Miliband described Musk as a "dangerous person" and claimed he was a part of a "global network of the far right," which, according to him, includes Nigel Farage. Musk acquired Twitter in 2022 and rebranded it as X. He has reportedly faced criticism for not effectively addressing misi ...Read More >
X has locked horns with New Delhi in the past, equating the government's mechanisms with censorship. The government of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has said the new system tackles a proliferation of unlawful content and ensures accountability online. Social media platform X said on Monday it plans to appeal an Indian court order that would allow over two million police officers nationwide to issue arbitrary takedown requests via a secretive online portal called the Sahyog. "We will appeal this ...Read More >
Bengaluru: Social media platform X Monday said it was "deeply concerned" by a Karnataka high court order that, according to the company, empowers "millions of police officers" to issue arbitrary content takedown notices through a new portal called Sahyog.X has said it will appeal the Sept 24 order as part of its broader effort to defend free expression in India but did not indicate whether it would be filed before Karnataka high court or Supreme Court.The Elon Musk-owned firm said it respects an ...Read More >
New Delhi: Social media platform X will appeal against Karnataka High Court's verdict dismissing its petition challenging the authority of government officials to issue content takedown orders under the Information Technology Act. Elon Musk-owned X through its official handle said orders issued by police officers to arbitrarily take down content from its platform through a "secretive online portal called the Sahyog" is a violation of Indian citizens' constitutional rights to freedom of speech a ...Read More >
Bengaluru, India: Social media giant X warned on Monday that an Indian court allowed ruling police to issue "arbitrary" content removal orders through a government portal threatens free expression. The state high court in Karnataka -- which includes tech-city Bengaluru -- dismissed a plea last week filed by X against the government portal that it alleged was being used to censor content. The government says its online portal Sahyog -- meaning "cooperate" in Hindi -- helps automate the process ...Read More >
Sahyog Portal Controversy: Tech billionaire Elon Musk's X (formerly Twitter) on Monday expressed concern after Karnataka High Court dismissed its plea to challenge Sahyog Portal. The centralised platform is developed by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), to issue orders to block offensive content from social media. While dismissing X plea, Karnataka High Court called 'Sahyog' an 'instrument of public good' and upheld its validity. Justice M Nagaprasanna-led HC bench, on Wednesday, September 26 ...Read More >
New Delhi: Microblogging platform X plans to challenge the recent Karnataka High Court ruling, regulating its content, along with other social media platforms in the Supreme Court. The High Court had upheld the Government of India's content takedown effort. X has warned that this would enable millions of police officers across India to issue arbitrary directives for content removal. In a post on the platform, X described the ruling as "deeply concerning," adding that it would defend free expre ...Read More >
Bangalore Gold Rate Today: Shattering all hopes of retail jewellery buyers of some relief amid the ongoing Navratri festival, gold rates in Bangalore, and other Indian cities broke another record on Monday, September 29. The price of gold in Bangalore, aka Bengaluru, witnessed a sharp surge bringing 24 karat gold Rs 16,000 above the historic Rs 1 lakh mark. The gold price rally in Karnataka capital mirrored the surge in gold rate in India and across the world. The sharp rally in precious metal ...Read More >
Lucknow, Sep 27 (SocialNews.XYZ) BJP MP Dinesh Sharma, on Saturday condemned the recent violence linked to the 'I Love Muhammad' poster controversy and urged communities to uphold peace and mutual respect. His comments came in the wake of violent protests in several parts of the country, including Uttar Pradesh and Karnataka. Speaking to IANS, Sharma said, "This is not appropriate. No religion teaches violence. The life of Prophet Muhammad itself stands as a testament to patience and compassion ...Read More >
New Delhi: An individual who is in politics must be thick-skinned, but a distinction has to be made between satire and defamation, Delhi High Court said on Tuesday.Justice Amit Bansal made the observation while hearing an application by BJP functionary Gaurav Bhatia. The petitioner had sought the removal of "defamatory" content from social media over his appearance on a TV news show earlier this month, where he was reportedly seen wearing a kurta "without any pants/pyjama."Bhatia told the court ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], September 26 (ANI): The Delhi High Court has observed that while satire and political criticism are part of free speech, obscene and sexually suggestive attacks cannot be justified under its garb. Justice Amit Bansal made the remarks while passing an ad-interim injunction in favour of BJP spokesperson and Senior Advocate Gaurav Bhatia in his plea against allegedly defamatory and morphed posts circulated after a viral TV debate clip. The Court stated that public figures like ...Read More >
New Delhi, Sep 14 (PTI) Developments in Nepal are a sign of a "vibrant democracy" and not anarchy, says former chief election commissioner S Y Quraishi, asserting that governments must be very careful in regulating social media as it has become an integral part of everyone's life. Quraishi also said that India has to take the lead in the SAARC region for hand-holding democracies "which are still struggling" by providing support to them but must do so as an "elder brother" and not as a "big brot ...Read More >
New Delhi: Tommy Robinson, an activist, organized a far-right protest in central London on Saturday that drew thousands of people in remembrance of Charlie Kirk, a U.S. conservative activist who was killed, and raised concerns about the health of free speech. Following a moment of silence in honor of Kirk, a bagpiper played Amazing Grace as part of the "Unite the Kingdom" march, which drew between 110,000 and 150,000 participants. Signs that said, "Freedom of speech is dead," were held by prote ...Read More >
NEW DELHI: Supreme Court on Friday adjourned hearing for a week on bail plea of activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Gulfisha Fatima and Meeran Haider in the UAPA case related to the larger conspiracy behind the Feb 2020 Delhi riots.A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N V Anjaria said it received the files of the case very late and they didn't go through it .The four accused approached the apex court challenging Delhi High Court order which denied bail to nine persons, including them. Khalid ...Read More >
New Delhi, Sep 12 (PTI) The Delhi High Court has refused to allow the release of Hindi film "Masoom Kaatil", saying in a diverse, secular society, certification cannot be granted to a film that ridicules religions, incites hatred, or threatens social harmony. The court said the film made it seem that taking the law into your own hands was something to be admired and celebrated, which cannot be allowed, as it "can damage people's trust in the legal system and suggest that using violence instead ...Read More >
Srinagar, Sep 08: Political leaders of Jammu and Kashmir on Monday denounced slapping of PSA on elected representative from Doda Mehraj Malik, and said such "draconian laws" are weaponised to silence political voices. J&K Peoples' Conference (JKPC) chairman, Sajad Gani Lone, who is also an MLA Handwara expressed strong condemnation over the move. In a post on X, Lone said: "We strongly condemn the use of the PSA against @MehrajMalikAAP This is a soulless democracy". He added that, "The will o ...Read More >
New Delhi [India], September 2 (ANI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Indore-based cartoonist Hemant Malviya booked for posting objectionable caricatures on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) on social media during the Covid pandemic. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and N.V. Anjaria also disposed of the matter, after it was informed by the counsel appearing for Malviya that his client has posted his apology on his Facebook and Inst ...Read More >
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