Musician T.M. Krishna moves Madras HC against Centre's IT rules

Chennai, June 10 (IANS) Renowned Carnatic musician T.M. Krishna, who is a vocal critic of the Narendra Modi government, on Thursday moved the Madras High Court against the new IT rules for social media platforms.In his petition, he stated that the Information Technology (Guidelines for Intermediaries and Digital Media Ethics Code Rules) 2021 is imposing "arbitrary, vague and unreasonable" restrictions.The Madras High Court bench of Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy, after admitting the plea, directed Additional Solicitor General R. Sankaranarayanan to file a reply within three weeks.Krishna, in his plea, said that the new IT rules violate the fundamental rights to freedom of expression and privacy and are unconstitutional."As far as I am concerned, privacy like music itself is an experience. When I think of privacy, I think of life, intimacy, experience, discovery, security, happiness, the lack of fear, and freedom to create. I think of liberty, dignity, and choice as facets inherent in me and not just as an artist but as a human being."As a person interested in exploring the boundaries of Carnatic music and taking the art form beyond its existing narrow social confines, the endeavour of my art is to ask difficult questions. My apprehension is that the work I produce in trying to reshape art will fall foul of the Code of Ethics contained in the impugned rules," he contended.His counsel Suhrith Parthasarathy, during the hearing on Thursday, submitted that the right to privacy was implicit in the guarantee of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution.
--IANS aal/vd