A division bench of the Bombay High Court delivered a split verdict on Wednesday regarding a bunch of petitions challenging the amended Information Technology (IT) Rules that address fake news about the government on social media. One judge agreed with the contentions put forth by the petitioners, while another upheld the government’s side. As a result, the matter will commence afresh in front of a third judge, who will provide a final ruling. Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing on behalf of the government, agreed to extend the previous assurance given to the court that the government would not notify the Fact Checking Unit (FCU) until the judgment was delivered. The FCU, which is slated to be set up under the amended IT Rules, is responsible for identifying and flagging off fake, false, and misleading facts on social media. According to the Rules, if the FCU detects or becomes aware of any posts that are fake, false, or contain misleading facts related to the government’s activities, social media intermediaries will be notified.