Jammu, March 27 Jammu and Kashmir Assembly Speaker Abdul Rahim Rather urged the government on Friday to formulate a comprehensive law to tackle the growing menace of fake news and misinformation in the Union Territory.
Rather made the remarks at the end of a discussion that lasted over half an hour, initiated by BJP legislator Ranbir Singh Pathania, who flagged the serious impact of misinformation on governance, public accountability, social harmony, cyber security, and democratic functioning.
Earlier, responding to the discussion, Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary said the government is looking into this matter very carefully and seriously.
"I assure the House, on behalf of the government, that we will make every effort to take the strictest possible action. We will not allow such things to continue. We are committed to strengthening the brotherhood of Jammu and Kashmir," Choudhary said, underscoring the adverse impact of unregulated social media on society as a whole.
Speaker Rather said the government will have to seriously consider the matter and make concerted efforts to address the issues and challenges that have arisen.
"A comprehensive law should be formulated to deal with it. The existing laws on the subject, in force in different parts of the country, should be properly studied before introducing a bill in this House. The entire House will support you on this," Rather said.
Pathania expressed concern over the lack of action against the accused involved in spreading fake news and demanded a mechanism to deal with the menace.
Earlier, members from both treasury and opposition benches, including Minister Satish Sharma, Bashir Ahmad Shah Veeri, Sajad Shaheen, Nazir Gurezi, Sajjad Shafi, Saifullah Bhat, Farooq Shah, and Khurshid Ahmad (NC), Nizam-ud-Din Bhat and Iftikhar Ahmad (Congress), Sham Lal Sharma and Pawan Gupta (BJP), Rafiq Naik and Aga Syed Muntazir Mehdi (PDP), and Rameshwar Singh (independent) participated in the discussion.
Minister Sharma thanked BJP legislator Pathania for raising what he termed a “very important issue,” and stressed that while information technology has expanded rapidly, there is still no effective mechanism to regulate misuse of social media.
He said misinformation campaigns, particularly through what he described as a "WhatsApp industry", have targeted him over the past 15-16 months, distorting public perception.
Calling for accountability, Sharma urged strict action against government employees engaging in partisan activity on social media.
He also raised concern over what he termed false and defamatory narratives being circulated against him, saying such practices undermine institutions and must be stopped.
At the same time, he underlined the role of responsible journalism, noting that the media has historically played a crucial role in safeguarding the country during challenging times, and called for promoting credible media while taking exemplary action against those spreading misinformation.