The Ministry of Public Security will present a new Online Protection Bill to the Cabinet early next week to take legal action against those who insult, condemn and undermine leading Sri Lankan dignitaries without any valid reason by circulating false information via social media.
This Bill had been languishing for three years without being presented to the Cabinet. Therefore, President Ranil Wickremesinghe had instructed the authorities concerned at the last meeting of the National Security Council to take steps to present the Bill to the Cabinet, Kurunegala Senior Divisional Secretary R.M. Jayaratne said.
He told a meeting of Grama Niladharies of the Kurunegala district yesterday that the Online Protection Bill has been designed by a committee appointed by the Ministry of Justice in consultation with some experts of the Singaporean Government. The Bill had been prepared to be presented to the Cabinet by former Minister of Justice Ali Sabry, PC and it will be presented to the Cabinet by Justice Minister Dr. Wijeyadasa Rajapakshe.
He said prior to presenting the Bill to the Cabinet, legal guidance had been obtained from the Attorney General’s Department.
“At present the Indian Government has also brought such an Act. In future, those who insult and condemn popular dignitaries baselessly though the social media in Sri Lanka can also be dealt with according to the law. Therefore, nobody can sling mud on leading personalities without any base via social media hereafter,” he added.