False: No govt order passed to punish those who post jokes on coronavirus

New Delhi, Apr 07: There is a message that is being circulated widely which says that those who post jokes relating to coronavirus will be acted upon.

The message says, 'group admin is requested to close group for 2 days as police can take action against admin and group members vide Section 68, 140 and 188, if anyone even by mistake posts a joke on coronavirus. Everyone could be in trouble. Hence I draw the attention of group admins to take necessary steps'.

While all of us need to be sensitive about the pandemic and not belittle the situation, the fact of the matter is that the government has not issued any such order. The government has said that no such order has been passed and neither is there an advisory to this effect.

However, the government has said on several occasions, those circulating fake news and causing panic relating to the pandemic are liable to be punished.