SC seeks govt’s stand over de-criminalising defamation

Days after it struck down the much-abused Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, the Supreme Court Tuesday sought the government’s stand on de-criminalising defamation on the ground that the penal provisions unreasonably constrict the freedom of speech.
“Defamation is an offence under the Indian Penal Code, but we need to delve on whether it finds any space under Article 19(2) of the Constitution as a reasonable restriction on freedom of speech and expression, guaranteed under the preceding constitutional provision,” said a bench led by Justice Dipak Misra.
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