It will be a great relief to netizens to freely comment, even political criticism , on social media now , Amid a spurt in arrests for “objectionable” social media posts, the Narendra Modi government has said that comments on Twitter and Facebook will not be seen as an offence. Terming recent arrests, charge sheets and…
Je suis Shirin Dalvi anyone? The plight of Shirin Dalvi quickly proves that freedom of expression remains a luxury in India especially if you are not part of the English-language media. English might not be much of a protection when it comes to intolerance, but at least it generates #IStandWith hashtags on social media that…
Last night, AIB roast videos featuring Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor were taken down from the internet and since then everyone has been talking about how freedom of speech is now just a phrase which cannot be exercised by aam janta.While All India Bakchod’s latest offering continues to garner political attention with each passing minute, Ashish Shakya (AIB team…
The central government Tuesday defended section 66A of the Information Technology Act, 2000 saying it was to curb posting of mischievous and objectionable material on social media and websites and in no way could be construed as curbing the fundamental right to free speech and expression.
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A lot of water has flown under the bridge in the last few days. From what I gather, you released an epic (albeit edited) video of the roast, became the toast of the town, upstaged the Filmfare Awards, came in for criticism from the moral police and the upholders of our national virtue and finally…
Article 66A of the Information Technology Act has no place in a free and democratic society If everybody who ever offended anybody — intentionally or otherwise — is to be locked up, then half the country would be behind bars. It is astonishing, therefore, that provisions in the law which mandate precisely such an outcome…
The Supreme Court on Tuesday said it would test the constitutional validity of a controversial provision of cyber law giving the police powers to arrest web users for posting objectionable content, saying it would not consider the government’s stand that it was open to making changes in the Act. The section under consideration is 66A…
Supreme Court on Wednesday said it will examine the term “grossly offensive” used in a provision of the Information Technology Act which empowers police to arrest web users for posting objectionable content. “What is grossly offensive to you, may not be grossly offensive to me and it is a vague term. We are only examining…
The French government rallied international support for free expression in the aftermath of this month’s terror attacks [“More than a million march in Paris,” front page, Jan. 12]. It also should eliminate discriminatory laws that limit religious minorities’ freedom of expression. As a Sikh, I support the right of Charlie Hebdo to publish satirical cartoons about…
Speakers at a panel discussion on the increasing challenges to the right to freedom of speech and expression, seen in the context of incidents such as the Charlie Hebdo attack in France and the controversy involving Tamil writer Perumal Murugan in Tamil Nadu, stressed the need to revitalise and reclaim the democratic spaces in the…