BENGALURU: Congress-governed Karnataka’s proposed law to make dissemination of fake news online punishable with up to seven years in jail may have hit its first hurdle already, with confusion over why the Kannada and culture department should be the deciding authority on something within the information technology domain.“As custodians of Information Technology Act, we have given recommendations to the law and parliamentary affairs department. Consultations are yet to happen on the draft bill,” IT&BT minister Priyank Kharge said.Advocate Vinay Sreenivasa highlighted the potential for such a law to be misused without an effective mechanism. “The proposed bill is likely to cause suppression of civil liberties rather than contain fake news. It is shocking that the Congress govt hasn’t followed the pre-legislative consultation policy brought by UPA II. Govt must immediately organise a consultation,” he said.A leaked copy of the draft Karnataka Misinformation and Fake News (Prohibition) Bill, 2025 mentions the establishment of an authority to determine fake news and take appropriate action under the Kannada and culture department. Sources said the draft was still to be reviewed by the cabinet because there was no clarity on how the objective of combating fake news could be realistically achieved. Kharge’s objection to some aspects of the proposed mechanism led CM Siddaramaiah to postpone the discussion till the next cabinet meeting, they said.Officials of the law and parliamentary affairs department said a scrutiny committee scanned the bill before the first draft was finalised.Internet Freedom Foundation, an independent agency, points out on its website that the govt hasn’t yet sought public feedback on the proposed bill. The foundation wants the govt to drop criminal provisions in the bill and publish the full draft and background note for public consultation.
