Kathmandu, June 16
Nepali Congress lawmaker Gagan Thapa has called members of Parliament, who are supporters of freedom of expression, to oppose the Bill on Information and Technology, saying it would not leave anyone free except blinD supporters of the government.
Speaking at a meeting of the House of Representatives on Sunday, Thapa said if the bill was passed as it is, no one would be safe.
The bill mentions that people disparaging, teasing or threatening others on social media will be jailed for five years or fined upto Rs 1.5 million, but it does not clearly define what do disparaging, teasing or threatening mean, according to him.
He reminded the lawmakers that Indian Supreme Court once scrapped legal provisions citing lack of clarity in them, and hinting that such provisions could be challenged here as well.
The bill has proposed an IT court to look into such cases, but the government would appoint officials of the court, hence it would not have independence, according to him.
