Supreme Court Orders Registration and Regulation of Social Media
While the government had already set a deadline for the registration and listing of social media platforms, the Supreme Court has once again issued a mandamus order for their registration and regulation.
The order was issued on Wednesday in response to a writ petition filed nearly five years ago by Advocate Bishweshwar Prasad Gautam. The joint bench of Justices Tek Prasad Dhungana and Shanti Singh Thapa issued the mandamus as per the petitioner’s demands.
Background of the Case
Advocate Gautam had filed the writ petition seeking mandatory registration, regulation, and inclusion of social media platforms within the scope of taxation.
The petition highlighted that social media companies and various OTT platforms were operating large-scale businesses without registration and that the state had failed to regulate them.
As a result, the state was unable to collect the taxes that should be levied based on their transactions. The petitioner demanded that these platforms be registered and brought under the tax net.
Government Deadline
The Ministry had announced a seven-day deadline for registration. However, until 2082 Bhadra 18, no company had submitted applications for registration.
The deadline officially expired on 2082 Bhadra 18, Wednesday.
