At 1,087 cases, India recorded a 26.7 percent rise in reported incidents of false/fake news and rumours as compared to the 858 cases in 2022, according to the Crime in India 2023 report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). 

Meanwhile, sedition cases halved in 2023, dropping to 10 from 20 in 2022. Haryana, Manipur, Tamil Nadu, and Uttar Pradesh reported two cases of sedition each, while Maharashtra and Punjab reported one case each. 

Telangana continues to top the charts for reported “false/fake” news and rumors, registering 275 cases in 2023 compared to 264 in 2022 – a 4.17 percent increase. 

Uttar Pradesh saw the second-highest number of fake news cases in 2023, but a sharper rise of 34.69 percent, reporting 198 incidents in 2023, up from 147 in 2022. Tamil Nadu stood third, with incidents nearly doubling from 77 in 2022 to 138 in 2023, a surge of 79.22 percent.

Karnataka and Maharashtra saw the largest percentage increase in fake news cases. In 2022, Karnataka reported 14 fake news cases, which more than doubled to 32 cases in 2023. Maharashtra had 66 cases in 2022, rising by over 106 percent to 136 in 2023. While Bihar is the only state among the eight major ones that registered a drop; it reported 46 cases in 2022 but saw a drop of 26.09 percent in 2023 to 34 cases.

The circulation of fake news is punishable under section 505 of the Indian Penal Code (now, section 353 of the BNS), which states: “Whoever makes, publishes or circulates any statement or report containing rumour or alarming news...shall be punished with imprisonment which may extend to three years, or with fine, or with both.”

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