Janvani
Independent student journalism

Terms of Use

Good-faith draft aligned to Indian law. It is not legal advice and must be reviewed by a qualified Indian advocate, and the bracketed details completed, before launch. Last updated: on launch.

These Terms are published as the rules and regulations, privacy policy, and user agreement required of an intermediary by Rule 3(1)(a) of the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021. By accessing or using Janvani, operated by [registered entity name], you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, please do not use the service.

Our two roles

For user comments, Janvani acts as an intermediary under s. 2(1)(w) of the Information Technology Act, 2000, and observes the due-diligence duties of Rule 3 of the 2021 Rules to retain the safe harbour of s. 79 of that Act. For the reports we editorially review and publish, Janvani acts as a publisher of news and current affairs content and follows the Code of Ethics in Part III of the 2021 Rules.

Who can do what

Anyone may read and comment. Only verified student journalists approved by our editors may publish reports. We may grant, suspend, or revoke writer access at our discretion under our published standards. You must be legally competent to contract under the Indian Contract Act, 1872 to hold an account.

Content you must not post (Rule 3(1)(b), 2021 Rules)

You agree not to host, display, upload, publish, or share information that, among the categories listed in Rule 3(1)(b), is:

  • defamatory, obscene, paedophilic, or invasive of another's privacy;
  • insulting or harassing on the basis of gender, or racially or ethnically objectionable;
  • harmful to a child, or that impersonates another person, including a writer's real identity;
  • infringing intellectual property, deceptive or knowingly false, or a threat to the unity, integrity, sovereignty, security, or public order of India;
  • containing a software virus, or otherwise unlawful under any law in force.

Content and moderation

We may remove content and suspend accounts that breach these Terms or the law. On a valid complaint or a court or government order, we act within the timelines set out on our Grievances page. Removal of content is without prejudice to our safe harbour under s. 79 of the IT Act, 2000.

Liability

The service is provided on an "as is" basis. Views in comments are those of their authors. To the extent permitted by law, Janvani is not liable for user-generated content it did not initiate, select, or modify, consistent with s. 79 of the IT Act, 2000.

Governing law

These Terms are governed by the laws of India, and the courts at [city of registered office] have exclusive jurisdiction.

Sources

Information Technology Act, 2000, ss. 2(1)(w) and 79; Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, Rule 3 and Part III, published by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology. Full text at indiacode.nic.in and meity.gov.in.