{"id":63406,"date":"2020-04-07T19:21:01","date_gmt":"2020-04-07T13:51:01","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/?p=63406"},"modified":"2021-04-15T18:17:35","modified_gmt":"2021-04-15T12:47:35","slug":"disaster-management-act-does-not-prohibit-coronavirus-posts-on-social-media","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/disaster-management-act-does-not-prohibit-coronavirus-posts-on-social-media\/","title":{"rendered":"Disaster Management Act does not prohibit coronavirus posts on social media"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>A message viral circulating across social media platforms claims that &#8216;Disaster Management Act (DMA)&#8217; has been implemented from midnight which bars people from posting coronavirus related updates. This would be a punishable offence, asserts the message. DMA was passed in the Parliament in 2005.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ANUPGARHJYOTI\/posts\/3810759252350030\" data-width=\"500\" data-show-text=\"true\">\n<blockquote class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\" cite=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ANUPGARHJYOTI\/posts\/3810759252350030\"><p>\u0906\u091c \u0930\u093e\u0924\u094d\u0930\u093f 12 \u092c\u091c\u0947 \u0938\u0947 \u0938\u092e\u094d\u092a\u0942\u0930\u094d\u0923 \u092d\u093e\u0930\u0924 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0906\u092a\u0926\u093e \u092a\u094d\u0930\u092c\u0927\u0928 \u0910\u0915\u094d\u091f \u0932\u093e\u0917\u0942 \u0915\u093f\u092f\u093e \u091c\u093e\u0924\u093e \u0939\u0947\u0964 \u0907\u0938\u0915\u0947 \u0905\u0902\u0924\u0930\u094d\u0917\u0924 \u0938\u0930\u0915\u093e\u0930\u0940 \u0935\u093f\u092d\u093e\u0917 \u0915\u094b \u091b\u094b\u0921\u093c \u0915\u0930 \u0905\u0928\u094d\u092f&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Posted by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ANUPGARHJYOTI\/\">Anupgarh Jyoti<\/a> on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/ANUPGARHJYOTI\/posts\/3810759252350030\">Tuesday, 13 April 2021<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>The claim is widespread with a Hindi message on both <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/search\/posts\/?q=%20%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A3%20%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A4%20%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%82%20%20%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%A8%20%E0%A4%90%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9F%20%20%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%82%20%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%88\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Facebook<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/search?q=%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%A3%20%E0%A4%AD%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%A4%20%E0%A4%AE%E0%A5%87%E0%A4%82%20%E0%A4%86%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%AC%E0%A4%A7%E0%A4%A8%20%E0%A4%90%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%9F%20%E0%A4%B2%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%97%E0%A5%82%20%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A4%E0%A4%BE%20%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%88&amp;f=live\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Twitter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-63406 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-full'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/disaster-management-act-does-not-prohibit-coronavirus-posts-on-social-media\/fe6ffda2-14d1-4e61-9223-8566eb32fdce\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"493\" height=\"864\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/fe6ffda2-14d1-4e61-9223-8566eb32fdce.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/fe6ffda2-14d1-4e61-9223-8566eb32fdce.png 493w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/fe6ffda2-14d1-4e61-9223-8566eb32fdce-171x300.png 171w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 493px) 100vw, 493px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/disaster-management-act-does-not-prohibit-coronavirus-posts-on-social-media\/41493cb8-35c3-45e8-8c06-8468ff1d9935\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"495\" height=\"866\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/41493cb8-35c3-45e8-8c06-8468ff1d9935.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/41493cb8-35c3-45e8-8c06-8468ff1d9935.png 495w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/41493cb8-35c3-45e8-8c06-8468ff1d9935-171x300.png 171w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 495px) 100vw, 495px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/disaster-management-act-does-not-prohibit-coronavirus-posts-on-social-media\/967f5493-12f1-4e4c-a4e9-70b6b647a90e\/'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"586\" height=\"936\" src=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/967f5493-12f1-4e4c-a4e9-70b6b647a90e.png\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/967f5493-12f1-4e4c-a4e9-70b6b647a90e.png 586w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/967f5493-12f1-4e4c-a4e9-70b6b647a90e-188x300.png 188w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 586px) 100vw, 586px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>The complete message says, &#8220;\u0906\u091c \u0930\u093e\u0924\u094d\u0930\u093f \u0967\u0968 \u092c\u091c\u0947 \u0938\u0947 \u0938\u092e\u094d\u092a\u0942\u0930\u094d\u0923 \u092d\u093e\u0930\u0924 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0906\u092a\u0926\u093e \u092a\u094d\u0930\u092c\u0927\u0928 \u0910\u0915\u094d\u091f \u0932\u093e\u0917\u0942 \u0915\u093f\u092f\u093e \u091c\u093e\u0924\u093e \u0939\u0948\u0964 \u0907\u0938\u0915\u0947 \u0905\u0902\u0924\u0930\u094d\u0917\u0924 \u0938\u0930\u0915\u093e\u0930\u0940 \u0935\u093f\u092d\u093e\u0917 \u0915\u094b \u091b\u094b\u0921\u093c \u0915\u0930 \u0905\u0928\u094d\u092f \u0915\u093f\u0938\u0940 \u092d\u0940 \u0935\u094d\u092f\u0915\u094d\u0924\u093f \u0915\u094b \u0915\u094b\u0930\u094b\u0928\u093e \u0938\u0947 \u091c\u0941\u0921\u093c\u0947 \u0938\u0902\u0926\u0947\u0936 \u092a\u094b\u0938\u094d\u091f \u0915\u0930\u0928\u0947 \u092a\u0930 \u0926\u0902\u0921\u093e\u0924\u094d\u092e\u0915 \u0915\u093e\u0930\u094d\u092f\u0935\u093e\u0939\u0940 \u0915\u0940 \u091c\u093e\u090f\u0917\u0940&#8230;.\u0938\u092d\u0940 \u0917\u094d\u0930\u0941\u092a \u0910\u0921\u094d\u092e\u093f\u0928 \u0905\u092a\u0928\u0947 \u0917\u094d\u0930\u0941\u092a \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u092c\u0924\u093e\u092f\u0947.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h4>Viral since 2020<\/h4>\n<p>The same message was viral last year with a message in English.<\/p>\n<div class=\"fb-post\" data-href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/masoom.ahmed.9\/posts\/2883119268432489\" data-width=\"500\" data-show-text=\"true\">\n<blockquote class=\"fb-xfbml-parse-ignore\" cite=\"https:\/\/developers.facebook.com\/masoom.ahmed.9\/posts\/2883119268432489\"><p>*Tonight 12(midnight) onwards Disaster Management Act has been implemented across the country. According to this&#8230;<\/p>\n<p>Posted by <a role=\"button\" href=\"#\">Masoom Ahmed<\/a> on\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/developers.facebook.com\/masoom.ahmed.9\/posts\/2883119268432489\">Wednesday, 1 April 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<p>The complete forward reads, &#8220;*Tonight 12(midnight) onwards Disaster Management Act has been implemented across the country. According to this update, apart from the Govt department no other citizen is allowed to post any update or share any forward related to Coronavirus, it being punishable offence.**Group Admins are requested to post the above update and inform all in the group.* Stay home ..Stay safe.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>On WhatsApp, it is being forwarded with a link of a\u00a0Live Law\u00a0report and requests all &#8216;group admins&#8217; to close groups for two days or else police can book people under Sections 68, 144 and 188.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-63414 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/disaster.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"1470\" height=\"807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/disaster.png 1470w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/disaster-300x165.png 300w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/disaster-1024x562.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/disaster-768x422.png 768w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/disaster-990x543.png 990w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/disaster-1320x725.png 1320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1470px) 100vw, 1470px\" \/><\/p>\n<h4>FACT-CHECK<\/h4>\n<p>A read through the\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.livelaw.in\/top-stories\/centre-seeks-sc-direction-that-no-media-should-publish-covid-19-news-without-first-ascertaining-facts-with-govt-154601\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Live Law article<\/a> itself suggests that the message promotes false information. Here&#8217;s what the title of the article says &#8211; &#8216;Centre Seeks SC Direction That No Media Should Publish COVID-19 News Without First Ascertaining Facts With Govt.&#8217;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-63411 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/dc912cb3-a3a7-4e85-977c-3d36d5889f78.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"695\" height=\"510\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/dc912cb3-a3a7-4e85-977c-3d36d5889f78.png 695w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/dc912cb3-a3a7-4e85-977c-3d36d5889f78-300x220.png 300w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/dc912cb3-a3a7-4e85-977c-3d36d5889f78-74x55.png 74w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 695px) 100vw, 695px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The article talks about the central government seeking a direction from the top court that no media outlets publish any COVID-19 related news &#8220;without first ascertaining facts from the mechanism provided by the government.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;Considering the very nature of the infectious disease which the world is struggling to deal with, any panic reaction by any section of the society based upon such reporting would not only be harmful for such situation but would harm the entire nation. It is, therefore, in the largest interest of justice that when this court has taken cognizance, this court is pleased to issue a direction that no electronic\/print media\/ web portal or social media shall print\/ publish or telecast anything without first ascertaining the true factual position from the separate mechanism provided by the Central government,&#8221; read the affidavit, as reported by Live Law.<\/p>\n<p>The complete affidavit in question uploaded by\u00a0Live Law\u00a0can be read <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livelaw.in\/pdf_upload\/pdf_upload-371969.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">here<\/a>. The following excerpt from the affidavit makes a reference to the Disaster Management Act: &#8220;It is submitted that such an act of creating panic is also a criminal offence under the Disaster Management Act, 2005. However, an appropriate direction from this Hon&#8217;ble Court would protect the country from any potential and inevitable consequence resulting from a false alarm having the potential of creating panic in a section of the society.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p>On April 2, the Supreme Court ordered the media to \u201crefer to and publish the official version\u201d about COVID-19 developments is in the spirit of the provisions of the Disaster Management Act of 2005, reported\u00a0<a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindu.com\/news\/national\/other-states\/coronavirus-supreme-court-order-to-media-in-consonance-with-disaster-management-act\/article31231952.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">The Hindu<\/a>.\u00a0However, the article further states, &#8220;However, the Act, on the other hand, does not contemplate an arrangement whereby the media \u2013 print, electronic and social media \u2013 first ascertain the \u201cfactual position\u201d from the government side before publishing or airing \u201canything\u201d on COVID-19.&#8221; The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) had pressed for such a directive from the Supreme Court on March 31 in the \u201clarger interest of justice.&#8221;<\/p>\n<h4>LIVE LAW\u00a0CALLS OUT THE MISINFORMATION<\/h4>\n<p>Live Law tweeted about the misinformation circulating in its name.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">A Fake message with the link of a <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LiveLawIndia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">@LiveLawIndia<\/a> report is still going viral in WhatsApp Groups<\/p>\n<p>Pls do not share it.<\/p>\n<p>Read this report to know more about it<\/p>\n<p>[Fake News Alert] <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/NE3F4jZxO7\">https:\/\/t.co\/NE3F4jZxO7<\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/dtsXebJN4f\">pic.twitter.com\/dtsXebJN4f<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Live Law (@LiveLawIndia) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/LiveLawIndia\/status\/1247168556485103617?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 6, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Furthermore, the legal news portal called out the false news in a separate <a href=\"https:\/\/www.livelaw.in\/top-stories\/fake-news-alert-news-that-no-person-apart-from-govt-is-allowed-to-share-or-post-covid-19-updates-is-false-154767\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">article<\/a>: &#8220;The report has no connection with the fake message. It is clear from a bare perusal of the report that it does not convey the news as sought to be spread through the fake message.&#8221;<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-63416 size-full\" src=\"http:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/download-5.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"719\" height=\"417\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/download-5.png 719w, https:\/\/www.altnews.in\/english-clone-2026\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/10\/2020\/04\/download-5-300x174.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 719px) 100vw, 719px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>The fact-check wing of\u00a0the\u00a0Press Information Bureau (PIB)\u00a0also tweeted about the misinformation and additionally provided Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act. It is noteworthy that the Act specifically talks about offences and penalties for promoting false claims and false warnings that lead to panic.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\"><a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/hashtag\/PIBFactcheck?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">#PIBFactcheck<\/a>:<\/p>\n<p>Sec 54 of the Disaster Management Act implemented provides punishment for &#8220;FALSE WARNING&#8221;\/persons circulating false alarm leading to panic. (2\/3) <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/Lgl1W0QoUN\">pic.twitter.com\/Lgl1W0QoUN<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 PIB Fact Check (@PIBFactCheck) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/PIBFactCheck\/status\/1245643534461333505?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">April 2, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Therefore, the viral message concerning the Disaster Management Act is misleading. The Act does not bar people from posting &#8220;anything&#8221; about coronavirus. Furthermore, the Live Law article was shared along with the viral message to give credibility to the false claim. It is noteworthy that the centre had invoked the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.thehindubusinessline.com\/news\/national\/centre-invokes-epidemic-act-and-disaster-management-act-to-prevent-spread-of-coronavirus\/article31049161.ece\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Epidemic Act 1897 and the DMA earlier in March<\/a>. The step was taken to prevent the spread of the viral infection. Provisions of the legislation allow for the detention of people or any vessel that come from international shores and are seen as a potent threat.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A message viral circulating across social media platforms claims that &#8216;Disaster Management Act (DMA)&#8217; has been implemented from midnight which bars people from posting coronavirus related updates. This would be a punishable offence, asserts the message. DMA was passed in the Parliament in 2005. \u0906\u091c \u0930\u093e\u0924\u094d\u0930\u093f 12 \u092c\u091c\u0947 \u0938\u0947 \u0938\u092e\u094d\u092a\u0942\u0930\u094d\u0923 \u092d\u093e\u0930\u0924 \u092e\u0947\u0902 \u0906\u092a\u0926\u093e \u092a\u094d\u0930\u092c\u0927\u0928 \u0910\u0915\u094d\u091f [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":90551,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[39],"tags":[],"an_content_type":[],"coauthors":[141],"class_list":["post-63406","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","fact_checks_claim_type-social-media-claims"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Disaster Management Act does not prohibit coronavirus posts on social media - Alt News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_GB\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Disaster Management Act does not prohibit coronavirus posts on social media - Alt News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"A message viral circulating across social media platforms claims that &#8216;Disaster Management Act (DMA)&#8217; has been implemented from midnight which bars people from posting coronavirus related updates. This would be a punishable offence, asserts the message. 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