The Bombay HC has stayed certain provisions of the IT Rules which make it mandatory to abide by the Ethics Code under the rules. The central government had previously filed an Affidavit averring that the stay would make the institutional framework inoperative. However, the court observed that the stayed rules seem to prima facie in violation of the Freedom of Speech and Expression enshrined under Art 19 (1) (a). The bench observed that dissent is vital to a democracy. However, the court refused to stay Rules 7, 14 and 16.
