Hateful content: Delhi Assembly panel issues final summons for Facebook to appear on Wednesday

New Delhi, Sep 20: A Delhi Assembly panel has issued a fresh and final summons to Facebook India, to appear before it on Wednesday, in connection with complaints about the social media platform's alleged deliberate and intentional inaction to contain hateful content in the country.

This comes days after Facebook India executives, including Managing Director Ajit Mohan, snubbed Delhi assembly's hearing, saying it has already appeared before the Parliamentary Standing Committee and that it is the "exclusive authority of the Union of India" to regulate it.

"Any defiance to the subsequent notice for appearance shall be deemed to be an act of breach of constitutionally-guaranteed privileges of the committee," a statement released Sunday afternoon said.

"The indifference exhibited by the representative of Facebook India is also a contempt to the people of Delhi... was unanimously decided... that in the event of subsequent default, (the) committee shall be constrained to invoke its power to initiate breach of privilege proceedings against Facebook India and thus (invite) penal jurisdiction of the house," the statement added.

The summon by the Delhi Assembly panel on peace and harmony follows a recent Wall Street Journal report which claimed that one of Facebook's senior India policy executives intervened in internal communication to stop a permanent ban on a Bharatiya Janata Party lawmaker from Telangana after he allegedly shared communally charged posts.

Last month, Facebook had said its social media platform prohibits hate speech and content that incites violence and these policies are enforced globally without regard to political affiliation.

"We prohibit hate speech and content that incites violence and we enforce these policies globally without regard to anyone's political position or party affiliation.