New Delhi, August 4 2018:  The Indian government has told the nation’s highest court that it has  shelved its plans to create a social media communication  hub – for now. 
The move was widely seen  as an intrusion into the privacy of its citizens.  Attorney General KK Venugopal,  told a Bench of the Supreme Court hearing a public interest case against the plan  yesterday, that the notification for the hub was being withdrawn.
The PIL was triggered by  news that  Broadcast Engineering Consultants India Limited (BECIL), a public sector undertaking had floated a tender to supply software for a social media hub. Trinamool Congress  MP Mahua Moitra had moved a petition  before the court against the move.
Government would re-evaluate the policy, the AG told the court – not quite committing that it would scrap the plan.

See our previous report: Apex court frowns on government social media monitoring plans