The government has finalized the draft of ‘Digital Security Act -2017’ by abolishing few controversial Sections including the Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology (Amendment) Act, 2013, said the Minister for Information, Hasanul Haq Inu, after the end of the inter-ministry meeting on Wednesday.
A few ministers also opined earlier that Section 57 will be discharged from the law for its misuse in the country and the Section will be made clearer in the Digital Security Act.
On August 22 in 2016, the Cabinet had a policy approval of the Digital Security Act draft. The draft was assigned to the Law Minister for further analysis.
Based on the ground, after several meetings, the draft has been finalized at the Wednesday meeting.
The Information Minister said, “The draft of Digital Security Act has been finalized. The draft will be placed in the Winter session of the Parliament after it gets the Cabinet approval”.
“The Digital Security Act will secure the expanded digital world and also help to grow it”, added the Minister.
“We have formulated the Digital Security Act in line with the other laws which are made considering the basic rights and principles provided by the constitution. The Act will preserve the basic rights of the citizens. It will also help to make a digital society, and secure the society as well”, Inu said.
He added that the controversial Sections like Section 57 will be abolished in this law. A proposal to eliminate Section 54, 55, 56, 57 and 66, informed the minister.
The cancellation of Section 57 was a demand from different quarters of the country. And even a Writ Petition had also been filed with the High Court on August 26 last year challenging its legality.