WhatsApp admin jailed since February for message he didn't send
Five months after a 21-year-old youth of Rajgarh district, MP, was arrested for an "objectionable" message forwarded in his WhatsApp group, his family has claimed he wasn't the admin then. Irfan, the one who had sent the message, was then an admin, but he left and Junaid became admin by default, they have alleged. But police claim they didn't report this when he was arrested.
Junaid became admin by default when previous admin left: Family
According to the family of Junaid, a BSc student and resident of Talen town, he was a member of the said group but not an admin. "When the matter came to light, he was in Ratlam for family work," his cousin Farukh said. "It was then that the admin left the group." Another became admin by default but he too left. Then Junaid became the default admin.
WhatsApp group-admins can be held liable if objectionable material circulated
Last April, Varanasi authorities ruled that admins of WhatsApp and Facebook groups will be held responsible if members circulate misleading, provocative or otherwise undesirable information. Action will be taken if rules are violated. This April, police in Maharashtra reiterated the stand, warning admins against keeping members in the group who post 'objectionable' content. Accordingly, Junaid was booked under the IT Act and IPC Section 124A (sedition).
If family has evidence, they should produce in court: Police
Police have denied Junaid's family's claims, maintaining they arrested him based on evidence they had then. Irfan too was arrested, but Junaid was the admin. His family didn't report these claims either, said former-Pachore police station in-charge Yuvraj Singh Chouhan, but are doing so now, "after the challan has been put up in court." "If they have evidence, they should produce it in court."
Admins now have several ways to keep control on members
Last month, WhatsApp rolled out a feature allowing admins to control who can send messages in a group chat. Members can also request admins to give them the ability to post in the group via a "Message Admin" button. Earlier, WhatsApp rolled out a feature called "Restricted Group" which allows admins to choose who can edit the group's subject, icon, and description.
