The Punjab Defamation Act 2024 has become law as the provincial government has issued the gazette notification for it, 24NewsHD TV Channel reported on Monday.

According to the channel report, the Punjab Assembly Secretariat officially declared the Defamation Act 2024 as law.

After issuing the gazette notification, the new defamation law has been enforced across the province of Punjab with immediate effect.

As per the report, Punjab Acting Governor Malik Ahmad Khan signed the draft sent by the Punjab Assembly on June 7.

The defamation law suggests special tribunals to hear defamation cases, with swift judgments anticipated, and fines of up to Rs3 million for disseminating false information. The tribunal has six months to make a decision.

Cases involving accusations against people in positions of constitutional authority shall be heard by the Lahore High Court (LHC).

On May 20, 2024, the Punjab Assembly passed the Defamation Bill 2024, rejecting all the amendments proposed by the opposition and ignoring the reservations and protests of the journalist community.

The opposition in the Punjab Assembly termed the bill a black law and tore copies of the bill in protest.

Journalists also staged a walkout from the press gallery and held a protest on the steps of the assembly against the passing of the bill.

The law aims to curb the spread of fake news across print, electronic, and social media platforms. It addresses the issue of misinformation on platforms such as YouTube, TikTok, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. It targets not only news that invades private life but also content that disrupts public space.

Reporter: Rao Dilshad Hussain