Activist Kokila Annamalai on trial for alleged failure to comply with POFMA correction direction
The correction direction was issued over social media posts she made in October 2024 about a drug trafficker on death row.
Activist Kokila Annamalai is on trial for allegedly not complying with a correction direction from the Protection from Online Falsehoods and Manipulation Act (POFMA) Office. The direction was issued due to her social media posts about a drug trafficker on death row, claiming the government schedules executions arbitrarily and does not bear the burden of proof in drug trafficking cases.
After receiving the POFMA Office's direction, she published another post defying it. On the first day of her trial, part of her defiant post was read out in court. Prosecutors argue that Annamalai knew about the correction direction and its legal requirements, and chose to ignore it, potentially using the trial for publicity. Her defense team claims the direction is invalid, as POFMA does not apply to facts or opinions and Annamalai's posts were honest expressions of her views.
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