IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad on Wednesday said Twitter failed to comply with intermediary guidelines and has "deliberately" chosen the path of non-compliance despite being granted multiple opportunities.
Lashing out at the micro-blogging platform over non-compliance, Prasad said that it is "astounding" that Twitter that portrays itself as the flag bearer of free speech, chooses the path of deliberate defiance when it comes to the Intermediary Guidelines.
The government has said that Twitter has lost its legal cover for failing to comply with the IT rules.
Pointing out to the Ghaziabad assault video instance, the minister said Twitter chooses a policy of flagging manipulated media, only when it suits, "its likes and dislikes".
The minister said that what happened in Uttar Pradesh was illustrative of Twitter's "arbitrariness" in fighting fake news.
Ghaziabad Police has named Twitter in an FIR filed in the matter.