The Supreme Court on Tuesday said that it would lay down the law on the Union government’s attempt to set up a Fact Checking Unit (FCU) to flag fake or misleading information relating to the business of the government, observing that individuals, digital platforms, and intermediaries must share responsibility in tackling harmful online content.. The Supreme Court said there should be very clear and demarcated guidelines. (ANI). A bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and justices R Mahadevan and Joymalya Bagchi admitted the government’s appeal against the Bombay high court’s September 2024 judgment that struck down the rule enabling the government to notify such a unit under the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.. The court issued notices to comedian Kunal Kamra, the Editors Guild of India, and the Association of Indian Magazines, which challenged the rules before the high court.. The bench declined the government’s request to stay the high court’s ruling for now, saying it would instead decide the issue finally and without delay. “No, no. We would like to decide this matter finally. It is better to decide such matters without delay,” the CJI said when Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought a stay on the verdict. The bench observed that the matter raised questions of significant constitutional importance.. “The question is of paramount importance, and it is just proper for the Supreme Court to lay down the law,” the court said, adding that the concerns flagged by the high court were also “very important”.. During the hearing, the court stressed the need to strike a balance between combating misinformation and safeguarding constitutional freedoms. “The issue here is how to balance the two views — it is about balancing without compromising the constitutional values,” the bench said.. The bench flagged concerns about the role of digital platforms in amplifying harmful content. “Some of these digital platforms, the way they are behaving… some of them are dangerous,” the bench observed after referring to illustrations placed before it by the Union government.. The CJI remarked that misinformation circulating online was no longer limited to harming individuals. “They were damaging personal lives, and now they are damaging the nation.”. The court indicated that any regulatory framework must clearly define responsibilities for all stakeholders. “There should be very clear and demarcated guidelines, but shifting the entire onus on the system without corresponding obligations of platforms and individuals is something that needs to be looked into.”. The case relates to Rule 3(1)(b)(v) of the Information Technology Rules, as amended in 2023, which empowered the government to notify a fact-check unit to identify online information about the government that is “fake or false or misleading”.. The Bombay high court struck down the provision in Septemb 

 Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan on Monday condoled the passing of 26-year-old Tarun Kumar, who was killed during classes between two families from different communities in JJ colony in West Delhi’s Uttam Nagar during Holi celebrations last week.. Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan (R) said it is heartbreaking that something as small as a child throwing a water balloon during Holi could escalate into such violence. (PTI/Instagram). The issue erupted over an 11-year-old girl throwing water-filled balloons at people while celebrating Holi. One of the balloons hit a Muslim woman, who objected to the celebration method. What started as an argument soon snowballed into a violent clash, with both sides assaulting each other, HT reported earlier.. At least four people, three from the Hindu family of the minor girl, were injured. Tarun Kumar succumbed to his injuries on the morning after Holi, with his family alleging that he was “waylaid” by neighbours who assaulted him with bats, sticks and stones.. Cricketer Shikhar Dhawan took to X and said, “Deeply saddened by the tragic loss of Tarun Kumar in Uttam Nagar. It’s heartbreaking that something as small as a child throwing a water balloon during Holi could escalate into such violence.”. Dhawan said that humanity should never stoop to such a level. “Prayers for his family and hope the culprits face the strictest punishment,” he added.. Protests after Tarun Kumar’s death. Protests erupted in Uttam Nagar after Tarun Kumar’s death, with agitators setting ablaze vehicles on the site.. ALSO READ | Seven more people arrested, minor apprehended for Holi clash in Uttam Nagar. The deceased’s family members and neighbours had also protested outside the Uttam Nagar police station, along with members of a Hindu political outfit. Some protestors even allegedly tried to attack the Muslim family’s house, prompting police intervention.. What Tarun Kumar’s family said. Tarun Kumar’s uncle, Ramesh, said the 11-year-old girl was throwing balloons at family members, but one burst on the ground, splashing a woman’s burqa.. “I apologised and even made the 11-year-old apologise. What else could we have done? They first beat us. I suffered heavy injuries on my head, chest and hands. Doctors put eight stitches, and I am still in pain. Tarun came half an hour later, and before he could even park his bike, they jumped at him and attacked him,” Ramesh stated.. CM meets Kumar’s family. Delhi chief minister Rekha Gupta met Tarun Kumar’s family and assured them that instructions have been given to ensure the strictest legal action against those responsible.. “The sorrow of Tarun’s family is extremely profound and unbearable. Ensuring justice for them is our utmost priority. Clear instructions have been issued to ensure the harshest and swiftest legal action against all those involved in this heinous crime,” the CM wrote in a post on X.. ALSO READ | Neighbours for 5 decades, families that clashed on Holi have history of fights: Cops probing Del 

 The Madhya Pradesh high court has cancelled Opposition Congress lawmaker Mukesh Malhotra’s election from the Vijaypur assembly seat, calling his failure to declare criminal cases in his election affidavit a corrupt practice under the Representation of People Act.. The Madhya Pradesh high court said BJP’s Ramniwas Rawat will take Mukesh Malhotra’s place in the assembly. (Getty Images/iStockphoto). Justice GS Ahluwalia of the court’s Gwalior bench on Monday said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)’s Ramniwas Rawat, who lost to Malhotra in a December 2024 by-poll, will take his place in the assembly. The order will take effect after 14 days, allowing Malhotra time to file an appeal in the Supreme Court.. In 2023, Rawat won the Vijaypur assembly seat on a Congress ticket before resigning to join the BJP. In the by-election in December 2024, Rawat lost to Malhotra by 7,364 votes.. Rawat moved the high court, saying that Malhotra had not disclosed two criminal cases in the election affidavit. The court said that Malhotra deliberately and knowingly suppressed this information, misleading the electorate.. “…such suppression has materially created an impediment in the free exercise of electoral rights, and has deprived the voters to make an informed and advised choice and therefore, this act of suppression has resulted in direct or indirect interference with free exercise of right to vote by the electorate and since, it was within the knowledge of the Malhotra about the pending cases and whether charges have been framed or not, therefore, this act of Malhotra amounts to undue influence, necessitating the declaration of his result as null and void,” the court said.. The court said that failing to provide such information deliberately constituted a corrupt practice. “…it is not necessary for this court to consider whether suppression on the part of Malhotra has materially affected the election result or not, because it has to be presumed, and such a question does not arise. Thus, Malhotra is held guilty of corrupt practice.”. The court declared Rawat as elected as he secured second highest votes. It directed the Election Commission of India and the returning officer to complete the formalities in this regard.. Congress leader Umang Singhar said they respect the court’s decision. “The Congress will appeal this decision in the Supreme Court after consulting with lawyers and understanding the legal aspects. The people of Vijaypur gave the Congress their mandate. The people are still with us. We hope that we will receive justice from the Supreme Court.”. BJP spokesperson Hitesh Bajpai said the Congress hid the criminal cases against Malhotra to mislead the innocent tribal electorate, but now the court has cleared everything. 

 Restaurants across various parts of the country have reported shortage in the supply of commercial cooking gas, with the National Restaurant Association of India (NRAI) on Monday urging the Centre to intervene, saying any disruption to LPG cylinder supply will lead to a “catastrophic closure” of restaurants.. The association pointed out that a March 5 order issued by the Centre directing public sector oil marketing companies to ensure LPG is supplied to domestic consumers, has impacted the deliveries of commercial gas cylinders to restaurants. (Praful Gangurde/Hindustan Times). The development comes amid rising energy costs and supply constraints caused by the ongoing conflict in West Asia.. “The restaurant industry is predominantly dependent on commercial LPG for its operations. Any disruption therein will lead to a catastrophic closure of majority of restaurants,” NRAI, which represents around half a million restaurants across the country, said in a letter to the Union petroleum and natural gas ministry.. The association pointed out that a March 5 order issued by the Centre directing public sector oil marketing companies to ensure LPG is supplied to domestic consumers, has impacted the deliveries of commercial gas cylinders to restaurants.. In Bengaluru, hotel and restaurant operations are likely to be affected from Tuesday, following an abrupt halt in the supply of commercial gas cylinders, the Bangalore Hotels Association (BHA) said on Monday.. “Since the gas supply has stopped, the hotels will be closed from tomorrow,” the BHA said in a release.. Noting that the supply of commercial gas cylinders stopped on Monday, it said, since the hotel industry is an essential service, common people, students, and medical professionals, who rely on the hotels for daily meals, will be affected.. In Gurugram, several restaurants have reported disruption in the supply of commercial LPG cylinders, forcing eateries to consider alternative arrangements such as domestic cylinders or electric cooking equipment.. Rohit Arora, manager of a restaurant in Sector 29, said the establishment currently has enough stock for a few days. “Our vendor informed us that commercial LPG deliveries have been paused temporarily. We have backup cylinders that can last about three days. If the situation continues, we may have to shift to residential cylinders or reduce menu items,” he added.. In Pune, the civic body has temporarily closed the city’s gas crematoriums following restrictions on the use of LPG components such as propane and butane.. The Pune Municipal Corporation cited the Centre’s March 5 order, directing that available propane and butane be prioritised for domestic LPG supply across the country, for its decision to keep its gas crematoriums closed from March 5 until further orders.. LPG cylinder booking period increased from 21 to 25 days. Meanwhile, the minimum waiting period for booking a domestic LPG cylinder refill increased from 21 days to 25 

 Sensex, Nifty today LIVE updates: Investors are keeping a close watch on the markets after Monday’s, March 9’s, sharp sell-off, with benchmark indices Sensex and Nifty witnessing a steep decline amid rising crude oil prices and escalating tensions in West Asia.. Smoke rises following a strike on the Bapco Oil Refinery, amid the US-Israeli conflict with Iran, on Sitra Island Bahrain, March 9 (REUTERS). Market participants are closely monitoring global cues, oil price movements, foreign fund flows and the rupee’s trajectory against the US dollar to gauge the near-term direction of equities following the heavy losses in the previous session.. Indian shares were expected open higher on Tuesday, March 10, as US President Donald Trump hinted the war in Iran could end soon, easing oil off three-year highs as well as fears of a prolonged supply shock, Reuters reported.. -Stock market crash on March 9: Equity benchmark indices Sensex (BSE) and Nifty (NSE) plunged nearly two per cent on Monday as a sharp rise in crude oil prices and weak global cues, triggered by the deteriorating situation in West Asia, sparked heavy selling in the stock market. The West Asia situation pertains to the ongoing military conflict between Iran-and-allies and US-Israel that broke out after the February 28 strikes by the latter on the Islamic country, that killed its Supreme Leader – Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.. -Sensex on Monday: Market sentiment was further dampened by persistent foreign fund outflows and the rupee’s weakness against the US dollar, traders said. The 30-share BSE Sensex fell 1,352.74 points, or 1.71 per cent, to close at 77,566.16, marking its second straight day of losses, according to data in a PTI news agency report. During intraday trade, the index had fallen as much as 2,494.35 points, or 3.16 per cent, to 76,424.55. On the BSE, 3,379 stocks declined, while 972 advanced and 185 remained unchanged.. -Nifty on Monday: Similarly, the 50-share NSE Nifty dropped 422.40 points, or 1.73 per cent, to finish at 24,028.05. During the session, it had tumbled 752.65 points, or 3.07 per cent, to 23,697.80. Gift Nifty futures were at 24,393.50 at 08:11 am on Tuesday, indicating the the Nifty 50 will open above Monday’s close of 24,028.05.. -Brent crude today: After hitting their highest in more than three years on Monday, Brent futures were down $6.51, or 6.6 per cent, at $92.45 a barrel and US West Texas Intermediate (WTI) down $6.12, or 6.5 per cent, to $88.65 on Tuesday morning. They had surged past $100 a barrel on Monday, touching mid-2022 highs as Saudi Arabia-led supply cuts and the expanding US-Israeli war with Iran raised concerns of major global supply disruptions.