Amidst the tussle with the Union Government over the new IT rules, Twitter has appointed its Global Legal Policy Director Jeremy Kessel, based in US, as the grievance officer for India to partially comply with new IT rules.
The new rules, however, require an Indian resident for the role. As per the new IT rules, all significant social media companies, with over 50 lakh user base shall appoint a grievance officer to deal with such complaints and share the name and contact details of such officers.
This comes a day after the social media giant’s interim grievance redressal officer in the country, appointed less than a month ago, resigned amid the firm’s months-long feud with the government.
Twitter had told the Delhi High Court on May 31 it was appointing Dharmendra Chatur, partner at a law firm that represented Twitter, as the interim officer for the role. But the centre had said it could not accept the appointment of outsiders to statutory posts.
Dharmendra Chatur resigned on Sunday, June 27, 2021.
Last week, Twitter India chief Manish Maheshwari was summoned by the Uttar Pradesh Police days after an FIR was filed against the social media giant over posts – by journalists and politicians – linked to the assault of a Muslim man near Delhi.
Mr Maheshwari was granted temporary protection from arrest by the Karnataka High Court. “If police desire to investigate or question, they may do so by virtual mode,” a single-judge bench of Justice G Narender said.
This is the first case against the social media giant after the new rules were brought into effect.
Earlier, tweets linked to farmers’ protest against three controversial laws had also generated controversy.
