Kollam District Collector and District Election Officer N. Devidas has reported the identification of 235 social media posts that violated the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) during the Assembly election campaign. These posts, which were disseminated without the mandatory prior approval, were flagged during a meeting of the social media code of conduct monitoring committee held on Tuesday.
According to the Collector, official notices have already been issued to the political parties and candidates responsible for these unauthorised digital expressions.
The administration is also taking a firm stance against paid news appearing in print media. Explanations have been sought from those involved in publishing advertisements disguised as news reports, with the District Collector directing returning officers to take necessary follow-up actions. A significant consequence of these violations is that the costs associated with such unauthorised advertisements and social media content will be officially added to the respective candidate’s election expenditure accounts.
In addition to penalties, the authorities are involving law enforcement to curb the spread of harmful content. Legal action is being initiated by the police against social media posts containing hate speech or obscene remarks, and such content is being systematically removed from platforms. The meeting was attended by member secretary and District Information Officer L. Hemanth Kumar, Subcollector Akhil V. Menon, District Informatics Officer P.S. Sumalkumar, and observers K. Rajan Babu and Ignatius Pereira, along with assistant information officer M.S. Prashanth.
Published – March 31, 2026 07:50 pm IST
