Srinagar, Sep 30 (KNO): The Jammu and Kashmir government has said that it is set to issue the New Media Policy, 2026, with provisions for registration and regulation of online news media platforms and measures to ensure accountability for misleading or fabricated information disseminated through unregistered and unregulated digital and social media channels.
The government, as reported by the news agency—Kashmir News Observer (KNO), made the disclosure in a written reply to a starred question raised by MLA S Bashir Ahmed Shah Veeri regarding the regulation of social media handlers and dissemination of misleading or false information.
According to the Information Department, the issue was- discussed in detail during the previous Budget Session of 2026, when legislators from different political parties highlighted concerns regarding misleading and false information being disseminated through unregistered and unregulated digital/social media news channels.
The department said the proposed New Media Policy, 2026 would contain provisions, besides print media, for the registration and regulation of online news media platforms to ensure accountability.
The government further said that, following instructions issued during a July 30, 2026 meeting of the House Committee on Government Assurances, headed by Ali Mohammad Sagar, the Information Department would formulate comprehensive guidelines/SOPs.
As part of the proposed mechanism, detailed lists of unregistered social media news handles operating in different districts would be maintained by the respective District Administrations, the government said.
It added that cases would be filed under relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act, 2000, Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), 2023 and Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), 2023, wherever any person is found disseminating false, misleading or fabricated information through social media platforms.
The government said the new laws contain provisions dealing with the spread of misinformation, fake news and provocative content on social media platforms.
Meanwhile, the J&K Home Department has established the J&K Cyber Crime Coordination Centre (JK4C) as an independent organisation under the superintendence and control of the Director General of Police, J&K, for coordinating efforts to prevent, detect and investigate cybercrimes in the Union Territory.
The government’s reply comes amid continuing discussions in J&K over regulation and accountability of online news and social media platforms. A February 2026 government response had also stated that a regulatory framework for news and social media was being proposed through the draft New Media Policy-2026.
The latest reply, however, states that the Information Department is now “soon going to issue” the New Media Policy, 2026, with provisions for registration and regulation of online news media platforms—(KNO)