Pushing strongly for de-criminalisation of defamation, political leaders across the spectrum argued in the Supreme Court on Wednesday that continuing with defamation as a penal offence under a colonial law muzzles free speech in a modern welfare state where truth and public debate are considered the greatest ways to good governance. A Bench headed by…
Interim Reddit CEO Ellen Pao stepped down today, following a week that saw the online community’s users call for her head on a pike after the controversial firing of a well-liked employee. It’s been called the “Reddit Revolt,” and it bodes poorly for the future of the Internet. So far this year, we’ve gone through…
The Election Commission has filed an affidavit expressing its stance in response to a public interest litigation (PIL) that wants a direction to the commission to frame new guidelines making voting mandatory. The commission said right to vote was not a fundamental right but statutory. “The decision taken by the voter after verifying the credentials…
Rogue teen blogger Amos Yee has been remanded for two weeks at Singapore’s Institute of Mental Health (IMH) to assess his suitability for a mandatory treatment order (MTO). The court heart Tuesday that, according to a psychiatrist, 16-year-old Yee may be suffering from autism spectrum disorder. An MTO could see him undergoing psychiatric treatment for…
Bharatiya Janata Party leader Subramanian Swamy has approached the Supreme Court, challenging various provisions of the Indian Penal Code that punish people found guilty of “hate speech”. Swamy had claimed that it violates people’s fundamental right to freedom of speech. The former cabinet minister’s petition, that is likely to be taken up in the second…
Chief Minister Tarun Gogoi on Monday paid tributes to freedom fighter Swahid Kushal Konwar on the occasion of his death anniversary in a function held at the Nehru Park. Chief Minister Gogoi paid floral tributes at the statue of the freedom fighter who had laid down his life for the freedom of the country. Speaking…
A woman, who faced prosecution for defamation for making allegations against her father-in-law in a domestic violence case, has approached the Supreme Court challenging the Constitutional validity of the law’s penal provisions. Petitioner Tina Ahuja questioned the Constitutional validity of Section 199 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, 1973 (CrPC) and Sections 499 and 500…
Facing flak for illegal bank accounts, non-governmental environmental organisation Greenpeace on Monday again came up in news after one of its international staff member Aaron Gray-Block was refused entry into India. The incident happened despite Block having a valid business visa. Protesting against the incident, Greenpeace claimed that no formal reason was given by the…
Of course, politicians don’t like free speech. But there is enough evidence that freedom of expression is not under grievous threat from the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government. Nothing perhaps exemplifies the hypocritical attitude of Indian politicians towards freedom of expression than the story of Section 66A of the Information Technology Act. This section, which…
In occupied Kashmir, the Jammu and Kashmir Democratic Freedom Party (DFP) has condemned the restrictions by the authorities on a seminar organized by the Muslim League in Srinagar, yesterday. While strongly condemning the police restrictions on the scheduled seminar the DFP said, “The puppet administration by resorting to such means is showing its autocratic nature.”…