Home / Legal Explainers / Health & Environment / Public Health / COVID-19 / What can you do if you get fake news on Covid-19?

What can you do if you get fake news on Covid-19?

Last updated on Jun 16, 2022

If someone is sharing fake news, there are several punishments they may face depending on the nature of the crime. For example, making up and sharing fake news on Covid-19 through Whatsapp can result in a person being punished under the law. Some other punishable offences are:

Publishing or circulating any statement, rumour or report which may cause fear or alarm to the public. Section 505(1) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860 The punishment is jail time of up to 3 years and/or a fine.
False alarm regarding a disaster Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 The punishment is jail time of up to 1 year or a fine.
Making a false claim for obtaining any relief, assistance, repair, reconstruction or other benefits consequent to disaster Section 52 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 The punishment is jail time of up to 2 years and a fine.
Forwarding fake news Section 54 of the Disaster Management Act, 2005 The punishment is jail time of up to 1 year or a fine.

Although there are many sources of false information on Covid-19, the most reliable sources of information are the following sources:

Information available in a State government’s website is also an authentic source of information. For example, Delhi’s Department of Health website. 

How useful was this post?

Click on a star to rate it!

Average rating 0 / 5. Vote count: 0

No votes so far! Be the first to rate this post.

Please share your feedback about this post!

Sharing feedback will help us improve our content. Tell us how!

If you want to keep your feedback confidential, please mention it in your feedback. If you have a question, please ask us in the comments or Ask Nyaaya sections.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Have a question you want to ask our legal experts?

Ask Nyaaya

Related Resources

How do you get Covid-19 vaccination in India?

The Government has allowed two Covid-19 vaccines namely Covaxin and Covishield used in a restricted manner for emergency situations.

How is Covid-19 testing done in India?

ICMR has approved four tests namely the Rapid Antigen Test, RT-PCR, TrueNat and the Antibody test to diagnose Covid-19 cases.

How is the Government taking action against Covid-19?

The Central and State Governments took several actions to control the spread of the disease under the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897, and the Disaster Management Act, 2005 like restricting spread and movement by enforcing lockdowns or curfews and other measures.

What is Covid-19 ?

Coronavirus disease (Covid-19) is an infectious disease caused by a newly discovered coronavirus i.e. severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2. Declared as a global pandemic by the World Health Organisation in March, 2020, Covid-19 is associated with symptoms like fever, dry cough and tiredness.

How is the Government tracking people infected with Covid-19?

The Central Government uses the Aarogya Setu application to track community transmissions of Covid-19 and individuals under quarantine.

Is Covid-19 covered under the force majeure clause in contracts?

For COVID 19, whether a contractual obligation can be avoided on the grounds of force majeure depends upon the terms of the contract.