A parliamentary committee chaired by Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey will examine satellite internet services amid the dispute over Elon Musk’s Starlink and the delay in its commercial launch in India. Separately, a court has directed Trinamool Congress (TMC) MP Mahua Moitra to remove two posts on X containing allegations against Dubey.
The two developments involve Dubey in his capacity as the head of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Communications and Information Technology and as the plaintiff in a defamation case against Moitra.
Satellite internet services under parliamentary scrutiny
The parliamentary panel has selected satellite internet services for detailed examination, with discussions expected at an upcoming meeting. Dubey confirmed the decision to news agency PTI on Wednesday.
“We will discuss the satellite net issue at our meeting in the coming days,” he said after a meeting of the committee.
The decision comes amid a public dispute between Musk and the Indian government over Starlink’s entry into the Indian market. Musk has accused Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani of operating a monopoly that is keeping the satellite internet provider out of the country. Dubey responded on Monday, asserting that India would not change its security policy under “pressure”.
The controversy has brought national security and regulatory requirements into focus. The government has maintained that satellite internet operators must comply with applicable security and regulatory conditions before commencing commercial services in India.
Starlink, Reliance Jio’s satellite venture Jio Satcom and Bharti-backed Eutelsat OneWeb have applied for permission to offer satellite internet services in the country. Bharti also operates Airtel’s pan-India mobile and internet network.
The government has said that the operators must meet the necessary requirements, including security clearances, before launching their services. The parliamentary committee’s examination comes as the companies seek to enter India’s satellite broadband market.
Court orders Moitra to remove two posts
In a separate development, Dubey shared a court order directing Moitra to delete two posts published on her X account on October 3 and October 6. The posts referred to the plaintiff as “vote chor” and accused him of being responsible for the disenfranchisement of voters.
“The Defendant shall delete the first post dated October 3 and the second post dated October 6 from her X account ‘@MahuaMoitra’ within 24 hours of receiving this order, including receipt by email,” the order stated.
The interim order also restrained Moitra from publishing or sharing allegedly defamatory statements against Dubey. These included claims that he was a “vote chor”, had “committed every illegality”, was “singularly responsible” for illegally disenfranchising voters or had acted at the behest of a “maalik”.
However, the court clarified that its directions did not prevent Moitra from fairly criticising the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls or official decisions relating to the exercise.
Moitra allowed to file objections
The court permitted Moitra to submit a written objection to the interim directions. It also clarified that its observations were based on a prima facie assessment for the interim application and did not amount to a final determination of the dispute.
The order further stated that if Moitra failed to remove the posts as directed, Dubey could approach X’s grievance officer under the Information Technology Rules, 2021.
The directions concern the two specified posts and the allegations made against Dubey. The court’s clarification leaves Moitra free to express fair criticism of the SIR process and official decisions, while the underlying dispute remains subject to further proceedings.