India
-Krishna Kripa
The
Chief
Electoral
Officer
in
Maharashtra
has
issued
notices
to
several
social
media
platforms.
These
notices
demand
the
removal
of
1,752
posts
spreading
fake
news
intended
to
mislead
voters.
Following
this
action,
over
300
posts
were
deleted
after
being
flagged
by
the
election
authorities,
as
stated
in
an
official
release
on
Friday.
image
Assembly
elections
in
Maharashtra
are
scheduled
for
November
20.
The
objectionable
posts
were
distributed
across
various
platforms:
143
on
Facebook,
280
on
Instagram,
1,296
on
X,
31
on
YouTube,
and
two
on
other
sites.
Facebook
has
removed
16
posts
so
far,
with
action
pending
on
127
others.
Instagram
has
taken
down
29
posts,
X
has
removed
251,
and
YouTube
has
deleted
five
since
the
notices
were
issued.
Election
Code
Violations
and
Enforcement
The
notices
were
sent
under
section
793
b
of
the
Information
Technology
Act.
This
section
allows
law
enforcement
to
instruct
intermediaries
to
remove
content
that
could
be
used
unlawfully.
Additionally,
the
Election
Commission’s
c-VIGIL
app
received
420
complaints
about
breaches
of
the
election
code
of
conduct.
Of
these
complaints,
414
have
been
resolved,
with
Thane
district
recording
the
highest
number
of
disposals.
Since
the
implementation
of
the
code
of
conduct
earlier
this
week,
authorities
have
seized
materials
worth
Rs
10.64
crore.
This
includes
cash,
drugs,
liquor,
and
costly
freebies.
The
enforcement
actions
aim
to
ensure
a
fair
election
process
by
curbing
illegal
activities
and
misinformation
campaigns.
The
ongoing
efforts
by
the
Chief
Electoral
Officer
highlight
the
importance
of
maintaining
electoral
integrity.
By
addressing
misinformation
and
enforcing
the
election
code,
authorities
are
working
to
ensure
a
transparent
and
fair
voting
environment
for
Maharashtra’s
upcoming
assembly
elections.
