The Puducherry police could not be faulted for filing an FIR against India Against Corruption activist Ravi Srinivasan for making objectionable remarks, in a tweet, against Union Finance Minister P. Chidambaram’s son Karti P. Chidambaram, Inspector-General, Law and Order, R.S. Krishnia said.
“I am very clear that we have acted purely on the basis of the merit of the complaint, in accordance with the rule of law. We are right on our part,” Mr. Krishnia said, speaking to The Hindu on the controversy over the recent arrest of Mr. Ravi Srinivasan, an industrialist, for tweeting on Mr. Karti Chidambaram’s assets.
As soon as he received the complaint, he directed a team to carry out a preliminary investigation, Mr. Krishnia said. He also consulted legal experts. It was found that there was a prima facie case in the complaint and it was only after that the first information report was filed. The police acted in a “free and fair manner.”
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On the charge that the police hurriedly acted on an email or fax complaint, Mr. Krishnia said action was taken based on a written complaint. Moreover, complaints received through email or fax could not be ignored as the concept of e-complaint had become popular among a section of people.
While agreeing that the law (Section 66 A of the Information Technology Act, 2008) was hard and it could be applied to many following the social media, Mr. Krishnia said it was for lawmakers to take note of it.