Lists seven-year jail term among penalties, mandates licensing for maps. PHOTO: AFP
NEW DELHI: Anyone distributing a map which the Indian government deems to be "wrong" could be liable for a billion-rupee ($15 million) fine and jail time under a new draft bill published this week.
Maps are a highly sensitive issue in India, which has long-running border disputes with several of its neighbours, most famously over the divided Himalayan region of Kashmir.
"No person shall depict, disseminate, publish or distribute any wrong or false topographic information of India including international boundaries through Internet platforms or online services or in any electronic or physical form," the draft Geospatial Information Regulation Bill says.
The bill, which is up for public consultation, was published on the home ministry's website on Wednesday and lists penalties, including a prison term of up to seven years and a fine of INR1 billion rupees.
New Delhi already imposes tight restrictions on maps but if it becomes law, the bill would impose specific penalties for the first time, including for online use. The new bill also states that a licence will be needed to "acquire, disseminate, publish or distribute" maps.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 7th, 2016.
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