Freedom of Speech

When a petition was filed in the Supreme Court to delete a textbook sentence describing how courts view slum dwellers as "encroachers," it sparked a vital debate. Are we protecting the judiciary's image, or are we sanitizing the harsh realities of India's urban poor for our students?

In India's digital landscape, a constitutional showdown is unfolding between the government and social media giant X (formerly Twitter). At its core, the conflict pits the state's desire for order against the fundamental right to free expression. The government's new centralized "Sahyog" portal is at the center of the dispute, accused of creating an opaque censorship regime that bypasses legal safeguards.

While born from a legitimate concern, the Karnataka Misinformation and Fake News Bill is a dangerously flawed overreach. Through its vague definitions, draconian penalties, and executive-dominated oversight, it creates a powerful state apparatus for censorship. This poses a direct threat to freedom of speech, dissent, and journalism under Article19(1)(a). It is not a scalpel to excise malignancy but a sledgehammer that risks shattering the foundations of democratic discourse.

SC rules public & media can debate even sub judice matters; calls courts & media pillars of a thriving democracy.