Chandigarh: Wonderinghow a “non-existent event” could lead to such violence at Lovely Professional University (LPU), Punjab and Haryana high court on Thursday raised the question of accountability of social media platforms, and called for a mechanism that can fix liability when false information leads to loss of life or propertyHC asked Punjab govt to come prepared with details about the origin of the information circulated on social media and the platform involved.The bench of Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor was hearing a PIL filed by LPU student Ravi Raj, seeking an independent investigation, preferably by CBI, into the violence on campus and blockade of NH-44 following the circulation of unverified claims about the alleged rape and suicide of a female student.Govt’s status report, filed during the hearing, said investigation was underway and that no rape had occurred. This led the bench to wonder how information about a non-event could result in unrest and such difficulties for police in controlling students.The manner in which information was circulated required “a lot more serious thought”, the Chief Justice said. “There has to be some mechanism for social media,” the CJ observed, referring to the need to balance the right to express views, including criticism, with accountability where information about a non-existent event was circulated.The bench referred to the Chitkara University incident and asked whether the same platform was involved in both cases. The state counsel said no connection had been found between the Chitkara and LPU incidents and said different persons had been arrested in the two cases. HC then asked the state to come prepared with details.Chief Justice Mishra observed that the investigation had to establish who was involved in originating or circulating the information. “If such false propaganda is unleashed… 28,000 students are there. They suddenly come on the road. There is a fight taking place. For several days the university is closed. Loss of property… You just can’t brush it aside,” the CJ said.At another stage, Chief Justice Mishra expressed concern that some sort of instigation is being brought in through a platform that is absolutely unaccountable and asked the state to consider the issue.
