Delhi High Court on Wednesday pulled up social networking giant Twitter over noncompliance of IT rules. Expressing unhappiness over affidavits, the HC granted one more week’s time to file a better affidavit which lists out details of persons appointed as Chief Compliance Officer and Grievance Officer as mandated in new IT Rules.
The Centre, too, has objected to Twitter’s affidavit on compliance.
ASG Chetan Sharma: This repeated non compliance by nuance terminologies and seeking time, we hold our hands because we're before your lordship. Your lordship is correct, if they want to comply, comply wholeheartedly.#DelhiHighCourt #Twitter #ITRules
— Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) July 28, 2021
Senior advocate Sajan Poovayya appearing for Twitter sought two more weeks’ time for filing better affidavits over appointing officers. ASG Chetan Sharma pointed out that Twitter India has earned revenue of USD 7 million in the year 2019 and despite this, there is blatant non compliance of rules in India.
“The officer himself says he is not an employee. It’s a chief compliance officer, there has to be some seriousness about the post. This in itself is in the teeth of the rule. This is a 31 year old person. What is this?” The court said.
Twitter had told the High Court that the same person, Vinay Prakash, has been appointed to two posts and that it has been using the term interim because the appointees are not employees but contingent workers on a third-party contract.
The Delhi High Court said that the affidavits filed by Twitter show clear noncompliance of rules and granted one week’s time to file better affidavits. The court directed that the affidvait must clearly set out details of persons who have been appointed as Chief Compliance Officer and Redressal officer. The affidavit will also furnish reasons as to why nodal contact person is not appointed till date and in what time will he be appointed.
The court has scheduled next hearing for August 6.
