Regulating Online News
Jammu and Kashmir plans a new media policy to regulate online news and combat misinformation.
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Jammu and Kashmir is preparing a New Media Policy for 2026 to register and regulate online news platforms, with the Information Department given four months to draft guidelines. Information Minister Sakina Itoo said the policy and related procedures aim to address misinformation and establish accountability; district administrations would also maintain lists of unregistered social-media news channels, and cases could be filed under relevant information-technology and criminal laws over false or misleading content. Lawmakers who favor tighter rules said unregulated accounts can spread misinformation and damage reputations, while others—including PDP MLA Waheed Para—warned that regulation could become censorship and restrict democratic freedoms. Itoo also said legislators and political parties share responsibility for some misuse of social media.
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Itoo said Jammu and Kashmir has established a Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (JK-4C) to coordinate and prevent cybercrime. It operates as an independent organisation under the overall supervision and control of the state’s Director General of Police.
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MLA Nizam-ud-Din Bhat argued that existing laws were sufficient to address many of the concerns, while acknowledging that the digital environment presents new challenges.
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Waheed Para invoked the 5 August communications shutdown, saying social media had served as a lifeline that kept people connected to the outside world and allowed their voices to be heard; he argued for more transparency, media and freedom rather than censorship.
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Itoo told the Assembly that an unnamed member had created a social-media page using the name of his wife’s maid, giving a specific example of the alleged misuse under discussion.
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