Vadodara police commissioner, Anupamsinh Gehlot has issued a stern message to all the Barodians regarding the WhatsApp forwards. Many people are prone to forwarding and receiving messages without reading and understanding them fully.
The messages which are once forwarded clearly show that the reader has agreed to that view. They cannot say ‘forwarded as received’. It is mandatory to read forwards that have political, religious ramifications or medical advice before the sender broadcasts it. He/she is responsible for its forwarding and unprecedented ruckus that it brings later in the society.
This comes after when a journalist turned BJP leader S Ve Shekhar posted a derogatory Facebook post on women journalists in Tamil Nadu. In response to this, Madras High Court has said that sharing and forwarding a message in social media is equal to accepting and endorsing the message. Adding to that, the legal system also ordered that no one has any right to abuse women and if it is carried out, it’s strictly a violation of rights.
When posting or forwarding of any messages as such is done by a renowned personality, common public is bound to believe in that news. Because of their influential persona and lakhs of followers, their messages sans verification tends to make people believe in their social media post.
The court has also said an abusive and obscene language is not expected from a person with high calibre, age and status who claims to be literate with a number of credentials.
The accused S Ve Shekhar, supported his petition by saying that one of his friends had forwarded a message who usually sent him moral and patriotic messages. He posted the message without even having read the whole text. Subsequently, he was pointed out about the abusive content with condemnable nature.
The post has created a disturbance in the society and the accused is trying to hide behind the scene. His post sparked a lot of protest by all group of people followed by an immediate registering of the case against S Ve Shekhar.
The court has observed that words are more powerful than acts. The abusive content against women journalists contained foul language which is generally spoken by hooligans during uncouth quarrels.
Madras High Court has rejected his anticipatory bail plea for his derogatory Facebook post.
