Coming down heavily on pending cases under already invalidated Sec 66 A of the IT Act, the Supreme Court of India directed that reference to this section should be removed immediately from all pending cases. The Supreme Court was hearing a PIL filed by the Peoples Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL).In Shreya Singhal vs. Union of India (2015), the Supreme Court declared the section of the IT Act unconstitutional.
The Supreme Court has passed directions to the Directors General of Police and Home Secretaries of all states and Union Territories to ensure that no cases were registered under this section in the future.
It is surprising that all the wings of the Criminal Justice System namely the Police, Prosecution, and Judiciary have not effectively acted on the Supreme Court judgment in the Shreya Singhal case. It is hoped with the current directions, the practice will stop.
