Rule of the land, not your policy, supreme: House panel to Twitter

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, June 18

Amid a tussle between the Union Government and Twitter over the new IT rules, a Parliamentary panel on Friday told the US-based social media giant that the rule of the land was supreme and the company must abide by the Indian laws.

The Parliamentary Standing Committee on IT, chaired by Congress leader Shashi Tharoor, had summoned Twitter officials over issues related to the misuse of the platform and protection of citizens’ rights. Twitter India’s public policy manager Shagufta Kamran and legal counsel Ayushi Kapoor deposed before the panel. During the 90-minute deposition, the officials were asked “tough and searching questions”, including why Twitter should not be fined as it has been found “violating” rules of the country, sources said.

Panel members, mostly from the ruling BJP, asked the Twitter officials whether their policy “is more important or rule of land”, to which officials responded they respected the Indian laws but had to follow their policy too for larger interest, the sources said.

MD told to join Ghaziabad case probe

The Uttar Pradesh Police have served a notice on Twitter India MD Manish Maheshwari in a case of a viral video of alleged assault on a Muslim man in Ghaziabad earlier this month. He has been asked to appear at Loni police station within seven days and record his statement. tns