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Geneva: United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan has delivered a scathing indictment of India\u2019s restrictive Information and Communication Technology (ICT) framework at the 62nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, warning that New Delhi\u2019s digital laws enable authoritarian control, suppress accountability, and silence legitimate criticism.<\/p>\n
According to Kashmir Media Service, addressing the Council on June 18, 2026, Khan cited India\u2019s ICT framework, including the 2021 Information Technology Rules, as a \u201cdeeply troubling example\u201d of legislation that has caused more harm than good. She said concerns regarding India\u2019s digital regulations had already been raised by her predecessor, but the situation had continued to deteriorate.<\/p>\n
\u201cAvailable empirical evidence demonstrates that India\u2019s ICT regime has neither curbed disinformation nor reduced hatred,\u201d Khan stated. Instead, she said, the framework has \u201cfuelled both disinformation and hate speech\u201d while giving authorities \u201cvague and expansive powers to control online content.\u201d Citing civil-society monitoring data, Khan said India recorded 1,318 verified hate-speech events targeting religious minorities in 2025 \u2014 a 13 percent increase from 2024 and a 97 percent rise from 668 incidents in 2023. Nearly 98 percent of the documented hate-speech incidents in 2025 reportedly targeted Muslims either exclusively or alongside other minority communities.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese figures expose the spectacular failure of India\u2019s digital regulatory regime,\u201d she said, noting it was publicly justified as a mechanism for combating harmful content but has instead coincided with the rapid expansion of religious hatred, polarization, and politically motivated disinformation. Khan said disinformation intensified during India\u2019s 2024 general elections, demonstrating how loosely defined digital regulations are \u201cselectively weaponized against government critics\u201d while \u201ccoordinated propaganda and majoritarian hate narratives remain unchecked.\u201d<\/p>\n
She further highlighted that India imposed 65 internet shutdowns in 2025, following 84 in 2024 and 116 in 2023. Since 2012, the cumulative number of shutdowns has exceeded 900, reinforcing India\u2019s reputation as \u201ca leading global practitioner of state-imposed digital blackouts.\u201d \u201cA bad law is often more dangerous than having no law,\u201d Khan declared, adding that India\u2019s ICT regime has \u201cpoisoned the information environment, amplified social division, shielded powerful actors, and undermined the fundamental right to freedom of expression.\u201d<\/p>\n
She warned that other governments were now copying India\u2019s flawed digital legislation, transforming the Indian model into \u201ca dangerous international blueprint for censorship and authoritarian control.\u201d<\/p>\n
The UN expert called for immediate international scrutiny, transparent legal reform, independent judicial oversight, and stronger safeguards for journalists, minorities, activists, and ordinary internet users to halt what she described as an \u201caccelerating assault on freedom of expression.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Geneva: United Nations Special Rapporteur Irene Khan has delivered a scathing indictment of India\u2019s restrictive Information and Communication Technology (ICT) framework at the 62nd Session of the United Nations Human Rights Council, warning that New Delhi\u2019s digital laws enable authoritarian control, suppress accountability, and silence legitimate criticism. According to Kashmir Media Service, addressing the Council …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":206264,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-206263","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-india"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t