Court Judgment on 66 A: A victory for freedom of expression
“Freedom of expression can be defined in three aspects: Discussion, Advocacy and Incitement.” This historic statement was made today by Justice Nariman, declaring the complete victory of freedom of speech in India.
Today – 24 March 2015 – we got a landmark decision from the Supreme Court, when it struck down Section 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act.
The draconian law had been reason for many internet users to be jailed for either Facebook posts or publishing cartoons. The Supreme Court declared Section 66A of the IT Act unconstitutional and ruled against the central government which had defended the Section. The Supreme Court also addressed another two sections of the law: Section 79, which forces intermediaries to take down online content, and Section 69, which deals with blocking of online content.
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