In a stern warning to Twitter, new IT Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said, the law of the land is supreme. The statement comes amid a bitter standoff between Twitter and the government over the new IT rules that make social media websites more accountable for the third-party content.
Earlier in the day, Twitter India executives told the Delhi High Court it needed eight weeks to appoint a grievance officer who is an Indian citizen, which is one of the provisions of the new legislation. Twitter officials also told the court that it is in the process of setting up a liaison office in India, in compliance with the IT rules.
On Tuesday, the court had accused Twitter of misleading it by not informing that the Grievance Officer who had been appointed was interim in nature. The rap came a day after the Centre told the Delhi High Court that the social media giant has failed to comply with India’s new IT Rules, which could lead to losing its immunity conferred under the Information Technology (IT) Act.