Wrong Map of India: Much Ado About Nothing

India

Markandey Katju

In fact on receiving complaints of the wrong map, Twitter has deleted the post. So why all this hullabaloo now?

A big hue and cry has been raised by some people recently about a wrong map of India shown on Twitter. The largely sold out and sycophantic Indian media has dutifully joined in the attack.

On receiving the objection Twitter has removed the post.

Three things may be said in this connection :

1. Showing a wrong map of India is not an offence under the laws of India. It was proposed to be made an offence in 2016 by the Geospatial Information Regulation Bill which was introduced in Parliament, but thereafter it was never enacted. So it cannot be said that Twitter did anything illegal.

2. Twitter is an intermediary which only places messages on its platform, which were created by others, not by Twitter. If anyone thinks the information is false, harmful, or otherwise objectionable, he can place the correct counter version on Twitter.

3. One can also ask Twitter to remove a false, harmful or objectionable message. In fact on receiving complaints of the wrong map, Twitter has deleted the post.
So why all this hullabaloo now ?

The real problems facing India are massive poverty, a sinking economy and consequential record and rising unemployment, appalling level of child malnourishment (according to Global Hunger Index almost every second Indian child is malnourished) and women’s anaemia (about 50% of our women are anaemic), skyrocketing prices of fuel and foodstuffs, almost total lack of proper healthcare and good education for the masses, widespread farmers distress, rampant corruption, etc.

The recent attack on Twitter and other social media channels seem to be diversionary tactics, like building Ram Mandir, cow protection, etc by an embattled government which has no clue how to solve these real problems facing the nation, and by the ‘godi media‘ which professes to be champions of nationalism, but only reveal their subservience to their political masters.

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Markandey Katju

Justice Markandey Katju is former Judge, Supreme Court of India and former Chairman, Press Council of India.

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