We’re pleased to announce confirmed speakers for the first session “Victims of censorship”. These are content creators whose work has been censored via the IT Act and the IT Rules, including their Facebook and Instagram accounts shut, YouTube videos taken down, and various accounts and content withheld. We’ll hear their stories in their words, about what was withheld, how they found out, and what they tried to do to get their content and accounts restored, and whether they were successful.

• Session 1: Victims of Censorship in India (in partnership with DIGI Pub)
  • Moderator: Adrija Bose, Senior Editor, BoomLive.
  • Neeraj Jha, Chief Editor, Molitics
  • Haseen Rehmani, Bolta Hindustan, Founder
  • Ambuj Kumar, Lokhit India, Editor
  • Sanjay Sharma, 4-PM, Editor in Chief

We are organising a discussion on ‘IT Rules and the Future of Online Speech in India’, in Delhi on April 23, 2026. Join us to discuss the impact and implications of the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology’s (MeitY) proposed amendments to the IT Rules, 2021, with a diverse set of speakers and perspectives covering victims of censorship, lawyers, media professionals, and policy makers, along with networking with a curated group working on tech policy in India.

Register here (for in-person attendance) | Zoom link (for virtual participation)

Note: The Zoom link is intended for outstation participants only. If you are based in Delhi, please register for in-person attendance.

• Date: April 23, 2026
• Time: 12:30 PM – 5:00 PM (lunch will start 12:30 PM onwards)
• Venue: Gulmohar Hall, India Habitat Centre, New Delhi

Here is our updated agenda:

• 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM |  Lunch and Networking.
• 1:00 PM – 1:45 PM |  Session 1: Victims of Censorship in India (in partnership with DIGI Pub)
  • Moderator: Adrija Bose, Senior Editor, BoomLive.
  • Neeraj Jha, Chief Editor, Molitics
  • Haseen Rehmani, Bolta Hindustan, Founder
  • Ambuj Kumar, Lokhit India, Editor
  • Sanjay Sharma, 4-PM, Editor in Chief
    10 Minute break
    
• 1:55 PM – 2:45 PM | Session 2: MeitY’s Expanding Mandate: Rule 3(4), the timelines for content takedowns, and the Safe Harbour, in the context of Shreya Singhal and the IT Act.
  • Moderator: Aditi Agrawal, Independent Journalist.
  • Rakesh Maheshwari, Former Sr. Director and Group Coordinator, MeitY
  • Snehashish Ghosh, TechNiti
  • Vasudev Devadasan, Lawyer and Master of Law Candidate at University of Melbourne
  • Torsha Sarkar, Project Manager at Centre for Communication Governance, NLU Delhi (CCG-NLUD)
    
• 2:45 PM – 3:15 PM: Open House Discussion
  10 Minute break
  
• 3:25 PM – 4:15 PM | Session 3: MIB’s Expanded Reach: The IDC, Part III, and Government Oversight of News Content and impact on users online.
  • Moderator: Nikhil Pahwa, Editor, MediaNama.
  • Apar Gupta, Founder of Internet Freedom Foundation
  • Jatin Gandhi, Vice-President Press Club of India
  • Sneha Jain, Partner at Saikrishna & Associates
  • Abhishek Malhotra, Managing Partner at TMT Practice
    
• 4:15 PM – 4:45 PM: Open House Discussion

Note: Our community partners for this event are Internet Freedom Foundation (IFF), Centre For Communication Governance (CCG) and DIGI Pub.

We have curated a reading list to help you prepare for the discussion. 

Important:

• Registration does not guarantee attendance. In case you fit our mandate for the intended audience, we’ll send you a confirmation before the event.
• Your contact information will never be shared with anyone outside of MediaNama.