The Central Government has directed all states and Union Territories to ask police stations under their jurisdiction to withdraw FIRs registered under Section 66A of Information Technology Act, 2000.
The Government also directed not to register cases under repealed Section 66A.
Section 66A of IT Act provided for punishment of a maximum of three years in jail and a fine to a person accused of sending “offensive” messages using computer or any other communication device like mobile phone or tablet.
The SC had struck down section 66A on March 24, 2015 after noting it as “vague and arbitrary”.
It was dubbed as “draconian” because it allowed arrest of several innocent persons
It was declared unconstitutional in Shreya Singhal v. Union of India case on March 24, 2015.