Section 499, Indian Penal Code, 1980

499. Defamation.—Whoever, by words either spoken or intended to be read, or by signs or

by visible representations, makes or publishes any imputation concerning any person
intending to harm, or knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm, the
reputation of such person, is said, except in the cases hereinafter excepted, to defame that
person.

Explanation 1.—It may amount to defamation to impute anything to a deceased person, if the
imputation would harm the reputation of that person if living, and is intended to be hurtful to
the fellings of his family or other near relatives.

Explanation 2.—It may amount to defamation to make an imputation concerning a company

or an association or collection of persons as such.

Explanation 3.—An imputation in the form of an alternative or expressed ironically, may

amount to defamation.

Explanation 4.—No imputation is said to harm a person's reputation, unless that imputation
directly or indirectly, in the estimation of others, lowers the moral or intellectual character of
that person, or lowers the character of that person in respect of his caste or of his calling, or
lowers the credit of that person, or causes it to be believed that the body of that person is in a
loathsome state, or in a state generally considered as disgraceful.

First Exception.—Imputation of truth which public good requires to be made or published.—

It is not defamation to impute anything which is true concerning any person, if it be for the
public good that the imputation should be made or published. Whether or not it is for the
public good is a question of fact.

Second Exception.—Public conduct of public servants.—It is not defamation to express in

good faith any opinion whatever respecting the conduct of a public servant in the discharge of
his public functions, or respecting his character, so far as his character appears in that
conduct, and no further.

Third Exception.—Conduct of any person touching any public question.—It is not

defamation to express in good faith any opinion whatever respecting the conduct of any
person touching any public question, and respecting his character, so far as his character
appears in that conduct, and no further.

Fourth Exception.—Publication of reports of proceedings of courts.—It is not defamation to

publish substantially true report of the proceedings of a Court of Justice, or of the result of
any such proceedings.

Fifth Exception.—Merits of case decided in Court or conduct of witnesses and others

concerned.—It is not defamation to express in good faith any opinion whatever respecting the
merits of any case, civil or criminal, which has been decided by a Court of Justice, or
respecting the conduct of any person as a party, witness or agent, in any such case, or
respecting the character of such person, as far as his character appears in that conduct, and no
further.
Sixth Exception.—Merits of public performance.—It is not defamation to express in good
faith any opinion respecting the merits of any performance which its author has submitted to
the judgment of the public, or respecting the character of the author so far as his character
appears in such performance, and no further.

Seventh Exception.—Censure passed in good faith by person having lawful authority over
another.—It is not defamation in a person having over another any authority, either conferred
by law or 110 arising out of a lawful contract made with that other, to pass in good faith any
censure on the conduct of that other in matters to which such lawful authority relates.

Eighth Exception.—Accusation preferred in good faith to authorised person.—It is not

defamation to prefer in good faith an accusation against any person to any of those who have
lawful authority over that person with respect to the subject-matter of accusation.

Ninth Exception.—Imputation made in good faith by person for protection of his or other's
interests.—It is not defamation to make an imputation on the character of another provided
that the imputation be made in good faith for the protection of the interests of the person
making it, or of any other person, or for the public good.

Illustrations

(a) A, a shopkeeper, says to B, who manages his business—“Sell nothing to Z unless he

pays you ready money, for I have no opinion of his honesty.” A is within the
exception, if he has made this imputation on Z in good faith for the protection of his
own interests.
(b) (b) A, a Magistrate, in making a report to his own superior officer, casts an imputation
on the character of Z. Here, if the imputation is made in good faith, and for the public
good, A is within the exception.

Tenth Exception.—Caution intended for good of person to whom conveyed or for public
good.— It is not defamation to convey a caution, in good faith, to one person against another,
provided that such caution be intended for the good of the person to whom it is conveyed, or
of some person in whom that person is interested, or for the public good
Section 499, Indian Penal Code, 1980

499. Defamation.—Whoever, by words either spoken or intended to be read, or by signs or

by visible representations, makes or publishes any imputation concerning any person
intending to harm, or knowing or having reason to believe that such imputation will harm, the
reputation of such person, is said, except in the cases hereinafter excepted, to defame that
person.

Explanation 1.—It may amount to defamation to impute anything to a deceased person, if the
imputation would harm the reputation of that person if living, and is intended to be hurtful to
the fellings of his family or other near relatives.

Explanation 2.—It may amount to defamation to make an imputation concerning a company

or an association or collection of persons as such.

Explanation 3.—An imputation in the form of an alternative or expressed ironically, may

amount to defamation.

Explanation 4.—No imputation is said to harm a person's reputation, unless that imputation
directly or indirectly, in the estimation of others, lowers the moral or intellectual character of
that person, or lowers the character of that person in respect of his caste or of his calling, or
lowers the credit of that person, or causes it to be believed that the body of that person is in a
loathsome state, or in a state generally considered as disgraceful.

First Exception.—Imputation of truth which public good requires to be made or published.—

It is not defamation to impute anything which is true concerning any person, if it be for the
public good that the imputation should be made or published. Whether or not it is for the
public good is a question of fact.

Second Exception.—Public conduct of public servants.—It is not defamation to express in

good faith any opinion whatever respecting the conduct of a public servant in the discharge of
his public functions, or respecting his character, so far as his character appears in that
conduct, and no further.

Third Exception.—Conduct of any person touching any public question.—It is not

defamation to express in good faith any opinion whatever respecting the conduct of any
person touching any public question, and respecting his character, so far as his character
appears in that conduct, and no further.

Fourth Exception.—Publication of reports of proceedings of courts.—It is not defamation to

publish substantially true report of the proceedings of a Court of Justice, or of the result of
any such proceedings.

Fifth Exception.—Merits of case decided in Court or conduct of witnesses and others

concerned.—It is not defamation to express in good faith any opinion whatever respecting the
merits of any case, civil or criminal, which has been decided by a Court of Justice, or
respecting the conduct of any person as a party, witness or agent, in any such case, or
respecting the character of such person, as far as his character appears in that conduct, and no
further.
Sixth Exception.—Merits of public performance.—It is not defamation to express in good
faith any opinion respecting the merits of any performance which its author has submitted to
the judgment of the public, or respecting the character of the author so far as his character
appears in such performance, and no further.

Seventh Exception.—Censure passed in good faith by person having lawful authority over
another.—It is not defamation in a person having over another any authority, either conferred
by law or 110 arising out of a lawful contract made with that other, to pass in good faith any
censure on the conduct of that other in matters to which such lawful authority relates.

Eighth Exception.—Accusation preferred in good faith to authorised person.—It is not

defamation to prefer in good faith an accusation against any person to any of those who have
lawful authority over that person with respect to the subject-matter of accusation.

Ninth Exception.—Imputation made in good faith by person for protection of his or other's
interests.—It is not defamation to make an imputation on the character of another provided
that the imputation be made in good faith for the protection of the interests of the person
making it, or of any other person, or for the public good.

Illustrations

(a) A, a shopkeeper, says to B, who manages his business—“Sell nothing to Z unless he

pays you ready money, for I have no opinion of his honesty.” A is within the
exception, if he has made this imputation on Z in good faith for the protection of his
own interests.
(b) (b) A, a Magistrate, in making a report to his own superior officer, casts an imputation
on the character of Z. Here, if the imputation is made in good faith, and for the public
good, A is within the exception.

Tenth Exception.—Caution intended for good of person to whom conveyed or for public
good.— It is not defamation to convey a caution, in good faith, to one person against another,
provided that such caution be intended for the good of the person to whom it is conveyed, or
of some person in whom that person is interested, or for the public good
Article 21, The Constitution of India, 1950

21. Protection of life and personal liberty.—No person shall be deprived of his life or
personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.

Article 19, The Constitution of India, 1950

19. Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech, etc.—

(1) All citizens shall have the right—
(a) to freedom of speech and expression;
(b) to assemble peaceably and without arms;
(c) to form associations or unions [or co-operative societies];
(d) to move freely throughout the territory of India;
(e) to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India; [and]
[(f)* * * * *]
(g) to practise any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business.

[(2) Nothing in sub-clause (a) of clause (1) shall affect the operation of any existing law, or
prevent the State from making any law, in so far as such law imposes reasonable restrictions
on the exercise of the right conferred by the said sub-clause in the interests of [the
sovereignty and integrity of India], the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign
States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or
incitement to an offence.]

(3) Nothing in sub-clause (b) of the said clause shall affect the operation of any existing law
in so far as it imposes, or prevent the State from making any law imposing, in the interests of
4 [the sovereignty and integrity of India or] public order, reasonable restrictions on the
exercise of the right conferred by the said sub-clause.

(4) Nothing in sub-clause (c) of the said clause shall affect the operation of any existing law
in so far as it imposes, or prevent the State from making any law imposing, in the interests of
4 [the sovereignty and integrity of India or] public order or morality, reasonable restrictions
on the exercise of the right conferred by the said sub-clause.
(5) Nothing in [sub-clauses (d) and (e)] of the said clause shall affect the operation of any
existing law in so far as it imposes, or prevent the State from making any law imposing,
reasonable restrictions on the exercise of any of the rights conferred by the said sub-clauses
either in the interests of the general public or for the protection of the interests of any
Scheduled Tribe.

(6) Nothing in sub-clause (g) of the said clause shall affect the operation of any existing law
in so far as it imposes, or prevent the State from making any law imposing, in the interests of
the general public, reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right conferred by the said
sub-clause, and, in particular, 1 [nothing in the said sub-clause shall affect the operation of
any existing law in so far as it relates to, or prevent the State from making any law relating to,
—
(i) the professional or technical qualifications necessary for practising any profession or
carrying on any occupation, trade or business, or
(ii) the carrying on by the State, or by a corporation owned or controlled by the State, of any
trade, business, industry or service, whether to the exclusion, complete or partial, of citizens
or otherwise.]
Article 21, The Constitution of India, 1950

21. Protection of life and personal liberty.—No person shall be deprived of his life or
personal liberty except according to procedure established by law.

Article 19, The Constitution of India, 1950

19. Protection of certain rights regarding freedom of speech, etc.—

(1) All citizens shall have the right—
(a) to freedom of speech and expression;
(b) to assemble peaceably and without arms;
(c) to form associations or unions [or co-operative societies];
(d) to move freely throughout the territory of India;
(e) to reside and settle in any part of the territory of India; [and]
[(f)* * * * *]
(g) to practise any profession, or to carry on any occupation, trade or business.

[(2) Nothing in sub-clause (a) of clause (1) shall affect the operation of any existing law, or
prevent the State from making any law, in so far as such law imposes reasonable restrictions
on the exercise of the right conferred by the said sub-clause in the interests of [the
sovereignty and integrity of India], the security of the State, friendly relations with foreign
States, public order, decency or morality, or in relation to contempt of court, defamation or
incitement to an offence.]

(3) Nothing in sub-clause (b) of the said clause shall affect the operation of any existing law
in so far as it imposes, or prevent the State from making any law imposing, in the interests of
4 [the sovereignty and integrity of India or] public order, reasonable restrictions on the
exercise of the right conferred by the said sub-clause.

(4) Nothing in sub-clause (c) of the said clause shall affect the operation of any existing law
in so far as it imposes, or prevent the State from making any law imposing, in the interests of
4 [the sovereignty and integrity of India or] public order or morality, reasonable restrictions
on the exercise of the right conferred by the said sub-clause.
(5) Nothing in [sub-clauses (d) and (e)] of the said clause shall affect the operation of any
existing law in so far as it imposes, or prevent the State from making any law imposing,
reasonable restrictions on the exercise of any of the rights conferred by the said sub-clauses
either in the interests of the general public or for the protection of the interests of any
Scheduled Tribe.

(6) Nothing in sub-clause (g) of the said clause shall affect the operation of any existing law
in so far as it imposes, or prevent the State from making any law imposing, in the interests of
the general public, reasonable restrictions on the exercise of the right conferred by the said
sub-clause, and, in particular, 1 [nothing in the said sub-clause shall affect the operation of
any existing law in so far as it relates to, or prevent the State from making any law relating to,
—
(i) the professional or technical qualifications necessary for practising any profession or
carrying on any occupation, trade or business, or
(ii) the carrying on by the State, or by a corporation owned or controlled by the State, of any
trade, business, industry or service, whether to the exclusion, complete or partial, of citizens
or otherwise.]
Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code)
Rules, 2021

2. Definitions.— (1) In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires-

(w) ‘social media intermediary’ means an intermediary which primarily or solely enables
online interaction between two or more users and allows them to create, upload, share,
disseminate, modify or access information using its services;

3. (2) Grievance redressal mechanism of intermediary: (a)The intermediary shall

prominently publish on its website, mobile based application or both, as the case may be, the
name of the Grievance Officer and his contact details as well as mechanism by which a user
or a victim may make complaint against violation of the provisions of this rule or any other
matters pertaining to the computer resources made available by it, and the Grievance Officer
shall - (i) acknowledge the complaint within twenty four hours and dispose off such
complaint within a period of fifteen days from the date of its receipt;
(ii) receive and acknowledge any order, notice or direction issued by the Appropriate
Government, any competent authority or a court of competent jurisdiction.

(b) The intermediary shall, within twenty-four hours from the receipt of a complaint made by
an individual or any person on his behalf under this sub-rule, in relation to any content which
is prima facie in the nature of any material which exposes the private area of such individual,
shows such individual in full or partial nudity or shows or depicts such individual in any
sexual act or conduct, or is in the nature of impersonation in an electronic form, including
artificially morphed images of such individual, take all reasonable and practicable measures
to remove or disable access to such content which is hosted, stored, published or transmitted
by it:

7. Non-observance of Rules.—Where an intermediary fails to observe these rules, the

provisions of sub-section (1) of section 79 of the Act shall not be applicable to such
intermediary and the intermediary shall be liable for punishment under any law for the time
being in force including the provisions of the Act and the Indian Penal Code.
Information Technology Act, 2000

66E. Punishment for violation of privacy. -Whoever, intentionally or knowingly

captures, publishes or transmits the image of a private area of any person without his or
her consent, under circumstances violating the privacy of that person, shall be punished
with imprisonment which may extend to three years or with fine not exceeding two lakh
rupees, or with both. Explanation. -For the purposes of this section-
(a) "transmit" means to electronically send a visual image with the intent that it be viewed
by a person or persons;
(b) "capture", with respect to an image, means to videotape, photograph, film or record by
any means;
(c) "private area" means the naked or undergarment clad genitals, pubic area, buttocks or
female breast;
(d) "publishes" means reproduction in the printed or electronic form and making it
available for public "under circumstances violating privacy" means circumstances in
which a person can have a reasonable expectation that;-

(i) he or she could disrobe in privacy, without being concerned that an image of
his private area was being captured; or
(ii) any part of his or her private area would not be visible to the public, regardless
of whether that person is in a public or private place. ]

79. Exemption from liability of intermediary in certain cases. –

(1)Notwithstanding anything contained in any law for the time being in force but subject
to the provisions of sub-sections (2) and (3), an intermediary shall not be liable for any
third party information, data, or communication link made available or hosted by him.

(2) The provisions of sub-section (1) shall apply if-

(a)the function of the intermediary is limited to providing access to a communication
system over which information made available by third parties is transmitted or
temporarily stored or hosted; or

(b) the intermediary does not-

(i) initiate the transmission,

(ii) select the receiver of the transmission, and

(iii) select or modify the information contained in the transmission;

(c) the intermediary observes due diligence while discharging his duties under this Act
and also observes such other guidelines as the Central Government may prescribe in this
behalf.

(3) The provisions of sub-section (1) shall not apply if-

(a) the intermediary has conspired or abetted or aided or induced, whether by threats or
promise or authorise in the commission of the unlawful act;

(b) upon receiving actual knowledge, or on being notified by the appropriate Government
or its agency that any information, data or communication link residing in or connected to
a computer resource, controlled by the intermediary is being used to commit the unlawful
act, the intermediary fails to expeditiously remove or disable access to that material on
that resource without vitiating the evidence in any manner.

Explanation. -For the purpose of this section, the expression "third party information"
means any information dealt with by an intermediary in his capacity as an intermediary.]
Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code)
Rules, 2021

2. Definitions.— (1) In these rules, unless the context otherwise requires-

(w) ‘social media intermediary’ means an intermediary which primarily or solely enables
online interaction between two or more users and allows them to create, upload, share,
disseminate, modify or access information using its services;

Information Technology Act, 2000

79. Exemption from liability of intermediary in certain cases. –

(1)Notwithstanding anything contained in any law for the time being in force but subject
to the provisions of sub-sections (2) and (3), an intermediary shall not be liable for any
third party information, data, or communication link made available or hosted by him.

(2) The provisions of sub-section (1) shall apply if-

(a)the function of the intermediary is limited to providing access to a communication

system over which information made available by third parties is transmitted or
temporarily stored or hosted; or

(b) the intermediary does not-

(i) initiate the transmission,

(ii) select the receiver of the transmission, and

(iii) select or modify the information contained in the transmission;

(c) the intermediary observes due diligence while discharging his duties under this Act
and also observes such other guidelines as the Central Government may prescribe in this
behalf.

(3) The provisions of sub-section (1) shall not apply if-

(a) the intermediary has conspired or abetted or aided or induced, whether by threats or
promise or authorise in the commission of the unlawful act;

(b) upon receiving actual knowledge, or on being notified by the appropriate Government
or its agency that any information, data or communication link residing in or connected to
a computer resource, controlled by the intermediary is being used to commit the unlawful
act, the intermediary fails to expeditiously remove or disable access to that material on
that resource without vitiating the evidence in any manner.

Explanation. -For the purpose of this section, the expression "third party information"
means any information dealt with by an intermediary in his capacity as an intermediary.]