The Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly witnessed a heated exchange on Wednesday when Social Welfare Minister Sakina Itoo said that while members were voicing concern over social media news channels, the maid of the wife of a sitting member was herself running a news page on Facebook that was allegedly being used to malign political opponents. She did not name the member.
Itoo urged the Speaker to bar legislators from carrying mobile phones into the House. She also suggested that phones be kept out of the visitors’ gallery and that people entering the House with mobile phones while posing as media personnel be stopped.
The discussion began during Question Hour when Bijbehara MLA Dr Bashir Ahmad Veeri raised concerns over the activities of certain so-called journalists operating on social media and called for a policy to regulate them.
National Conference member Altaf Ahmad Wani backed the demand. He said that a few days ago, when he was taking out a Happydent, a self-styled journalist circulated a video claiming that he was consuming a tobacco product.
Responding to the issue, Itoo said some political people were also part of the problem. Such social media “journalists”, she said, tarnished the reputation of individuals, while several legislators promoted them in one way or another.
She also recounted a personal experience. Deputy Chief Minister Surinder Choudhary, she said, was like an elder brother to her, and a video of the two talking inside the House was circulated on social media and presented in a misleading manner.
People who engage in such activities, she said, have no regard for the dignity of anyone’s daughters and daughters-in-law.
Itoo added that several legislators had brought people into the House to make reels of the proceedings and reiterated that the maid of a member’s wife had set up a Facebook page or channel that was allegedly being misused.
She informed the House that the Government was going to introduce a new Media Policy, 2026, aimed at regulating the functioning of online news platforms and addressing concerns over unregistered and unregulated social media news handles disseminating misleading or fabricated information.
Sakina Itoo informed the Legislative Assembly that the proposed policy would include provisions for the registration and regulation of online news media platforms, while also putting in place mechanisms to fix accountability for misleading content.
The minister said the issue of misleading and false information being disseminated through unregistered and unregulated digital and social media news channels had already been discussed in detail during the previous budget session.
As part of the government’s commitment to effectively address the issue, the Information Department would soon issue the New Media Policy, 2026, incorporating provisions for the registration and regulation of online news media platforms, in addition to print media, to ensure accountability.
Districts to maintain a database of unregistered handles
The Government said that, following directions issued during the July 30, 2026, meeting of the House Committee on Government Assurances, headed by Ali Mohammad Sagar, the Information Department would formulate comprehensive guidelines and Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to address the issue.
Under the proposed mechanism, district administrations would maintain detailed lists of unregistered social media news handles operating in their respective districts.
The government said action would be taken under applicable laws wherever individuals or platforms were found disseminating false, misleading or fabricated information through social media.
It referred to provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000, the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023, and the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, in this regard.
JK4C to coordinate cybercrime response
The Government also informed the House that the J&K Home Department had established the J&K Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (JK4C) under the superintendence and control of the Director General of Police, J&K.
The centre, it said, coordinates efforts aimed at preventing, detecting and investigating cybercrimes in the Union Territory.
The Government further said the Social Media Cell of the Directorate of Information and Public Relations (DIPR) regularly monitors news appearing in print, electronic and social media through its dedicated fake and misleading news monitoring mechanism.
“When any news item is found fake or misleading, the rebuttal of the same is issued through the social media handles of the department on a real-time basis,” the government said.
Such rebuttals are also sent to newspapers for publication in their immediate next editions and uploaded on the official DIPR website, it added.
Proposed policy to cover fake news, plagiarism
The Government said the proposed J&K Media Policy would also provide for monitoring content relating to fake news, plagiarism and unethical or anti-national activities.
It would also contain provisions concerning the de-empanelment of media houses and withholding of government advertisements in certain cases, according to the reply.
The Government referred to the existing legal framework governing social media portals, YouTube news channels and websites, including the Information Technology Act, 2000, and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021.
It also cited provisions of the BNS and BNSS dealing with online offences, public order, threats, misinformation and other unlawful activities.
At the same time, the government referred to the constitutional guarantee of freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a), subject to reasonable restrictions under Article 19(2).