Will address all social media wing concerns, AG Tells SC

NEW DELHI: Attorney General KK Venugopal on Tuesday assured the Supreme Court that all concerns and objections against Unique Identification Authority of India’s proposed social media wing would be addressed.

The top court had at its last hearing criticised the government for attempting to set up a social media hub to trawl through social media accounts of people with an aim to instil “nationalistic feelings” and “moulding” public opinion. “That is a surveillance state,” Justice DY Chandrachud had said, sitting alongside Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra.

The bench had demanded an explanation from the government while slamming any attempt to do “indirectly” what it “had asked the government not to do directly”.


Now, Trinamool Congress leader Mohua Moitra has claimed that UIDAI had floated a fresh tender inviting bids for a social media wing with “identical clauses”. Her case is being argued by senior advocate Abhishek Manu Singhvi, assisted by lawyer Amit Bhandari.