Ladakh map error: Centre issues notice to Twitter; gives 5 days to respond

The centre has asked Twitter to explain within five working days why it depicted Leh as part of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) instead of a separate Union Territory (UT).

The government has issued a notice to the micro-blogging site owned by Jack Dorsey. The government, in its notice, has said that displaying Leh as part of Jammu and Kashmir was a "deliberate attempt by Twitter to undermine the will of sovereign parliament of India which has declared Ladakh a UT with its headquarters in Leh," sources told The Economic Times.

The government has also asked Twitter to explain why legal action should not be taken against the social media website and its representatives for disrespecting India's territorial integrity by showing an incorrect map.

This is not the first time Twitter has come under fire from the government for incorrectly placing Leh on the map. Earlier, the microblogging platform had shown Leh as part of the People's Republic of China. Soon after, the secretary of the Electronics and Information Ministry wrote to Jack Dorsey. In response, Twitter had made changes to Leh's location, however, it has not yet rectified the map to show Leh under the UT of Ladakh. The map is still showing Leh as part of J&K.

If Twitter does not respond within five days or if its response is not to the government's satisfaction, the centre is then expected to take action against the company. "The legal options before the government include filing an FIR under the criminal laws amendment act leading to imprisonment of up to six months for Twitter executives, and the second option is to block access to Twitter in India under Section 66a of the IT Act," a senior official aware of the matter told the daily.

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