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Centre Working On New Law On The Lines Of Section 66A: Devendra Fadnavis

Centre Working On New Law On The Lines Of Section 66A: Devendra Fadnavis
MUMBAI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 12: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis (C) arrives at Vidhan Bhavan on November 12, 2014 in Mumbai, India. Minority government of BJP led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis won the vote of confidence of the Maharashtra state assembly by a voice vote, while its former ally Shiv Sena opted for the role of opposition. (Photo by Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)
Hindustan Times via Getty Images
MUMBAI, INDIA - NOVEMBER 12: Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis (C) arrives at Vidhan Bhavan on November 12, 2014 in Mumbai, India. Minority government of BJP led by Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis won the vote of confidence of the Maharashtra state assembly by a voice vote, while its former ally Shiv Sena opted for the role of opposition. (Photo by Kunal Patil/Hindustan Times via Getty Images)

MUMBAI — Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis today said that the Centre is working on formulating a new law under IT Act, on the lines of section 66 (A) that was struck down recently by the Supreme Court.

Fadnavis was replying to Shiv Sena MLC Neelam Gorhe, who asked whether the state will frame a new law in place of Section 66 (A) that would compensate for the repercussions on the Supreme Court order.

"Under the previous law, an accused could be put behind bars if he made objectionable comments on somebody. After this law was struck down, these miscreants will now get teeth to continue doing this. Will the state government formulate a law in line with the previous law?" Gorhe asked.

Fadnavis said that there is no need for the state government to frame a new law as the Central government is already working on it.

"The Centre is working on formulating a new law on the lines of Section 66 (A) that was struck down by the SC. There was no conviction in the previous law and thus a law is being formulated that will be strong and which will result in convictions," the chief minister said.

While there were 937 registered cases under the IT Act in 2013, the number rose to 2,696 in 2014, he said.

Replying to a question by Hemant Takle (NCP), who pointed out that merely training 1,000 policemen will not help and that all police stations should be trained in handling cases of cyber crime, Fadnavis said that his suggestion will be considered.

He also said that while 1,000 policemen are being trained to tackle cyber crime cases, NASSCOM and DSCI are also imparting training to 4,416 officials and 5,972 low-level officers.

"To tackle cases, we will also think about taking help from outsourced agencies if required," the CM added.

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This article exists as part of the online archive for HuffPost India, which closed in 2020. Some features are no longer enabled. If you have questions or concerns about this article, please contact indiasupport@huffpost.com.