The Madras High Court on Wednesday accepted exception to a request made by a counsel for the Union of India to provide more time to finish its response to petitions questioning the legality of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021 (IT Rules, 2021). In its interim order, the Court continued to ask the Additional Solicitor General of India to acknowledge why proper steps should not be exercised against those accountable for not filing the counter-affidavit on behalf of the Union of India, notwithstanding prior directions from the Court to do so.
Another counsel appearing for the Central government today requested the Court to allow some more time to file its answer after a counsel for the petitioner notified that the Union of India was yet to file its counter.
“What is this,” Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee remarked, reporting that the Union had asked time to file its response on the last date of hearing as well.
The Court, though, continued to dismiss the matter till Friday, while continuing in its order that the ASG should respond on why action should not be taken against those persons who failed to file a timely response.
