The Centre has withdrawn the latest draft of the Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill amid allegations by several press bodies and civil society organisations that it impinged on free speech online, the Hindustan Times reported.

The government asked stakeholders to return physical copies that were given to them on July 24 and July 25, the newspaper reported, citing give individuals aware of the matter.

The Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting on Monday said that it will publish a fresh draft of the bill after holding detailed consultations with stakeholders.

The Centre’s statement, however, only mentions the first draft of the bill that was made public on November 10, and does not make any reference to the latest draft that was reportedly shared with select stakeholders last month.

The Centre had not released the latest draft of the bill publicly, which had led journalists and activists to call for wider consultations.

The information and broadcasting ministry said on Monday that it received several comments and suggestions on the draft of the bill released on November 10.

“Ministry is holding a series of consultations with the stakeholders on the draft bill,” it said in a post on X. “Further additional time is being provided to solicit comments/ suggestions till 15th October, 2024. A fresh draft will be published after detailed consultations.”

Concerns about censorship, media freedom

The draft Broadcasting Services (Regulation) Bill seeks to create a consolidated legal framework for the broadcasting sector in India. The proposed legislation is slated to replace the nearly three-decade-old Cable Television Networks Regulation Act, 1995 and bring under its ambit over-the-top media providers and digital news platforms.

Opposition leaders, media collectives and digital rights associations, however, said that the bill could enable the government to censor free speech on over-the-top platforms and social media, and could lead to the erosion of the independence of digital media.

On August 8, online content creators, journalists and activists held a press conference in New Delhi, urging the Union government to address their concerns.

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi alleged on August 5 that the National Democratic Alliance government was preparing to put a lock on digital media, social media, over-the-top platforms and individuals through the bill.

While the latest draft of the bill was not made public, details of it were reported by the Hindustan Times and Medianama.

According to the reports, the proposed law was to cover online streaming services, social media accounts and online video creators.

The draft proposed that online creators would need to conform with a three-tier mechanism put in place by the Information Technology Rules. Broadcasters would need to appoint grievance officers, set up Content Evaluation Committees and would need to comply with a Programme Code and an Advertising Code.

Among the most contentious provisions was one that said online influencers could be classified as broadcasters if they spoke about matters involving current affairs.

Activists alleged that these provisions would impose compliance requirements that would make it impossible for content creators to function without the permission of the government. They contended that the draft bill was part of a multi-layered legal system that sought to censor content.