If the judges had turned eastwards, they would have found an equally emphatic supporter of free speech. The first hymn in the Rig Veda is dedicated to Agni, who is never afraid to speak the truth
The lucid Supreme Court judgment scrapping Section 66A of the Information Technology Act shines a bright light on the concept of free speech and draws upon several interesting references (literary and mythical) and judicial precedents.
For instance, the judges liken freedom of speech to the Ark of the Covenant between the Jewish god and his people and hence the founding principle for many world religions.
In the Mahabharata, Agni's propensity for veracity is tested in a story about the origins of the Bhrigu clan. Bhrigu, a powerful sage, married Puloma, who soon became pregnant with his heir. As the ninth month approached, Bhrigu was called away to preside over a royal yajna. At that time a raksasha named Puloman visited his ashram. Puloman and Puloma were betrothed as children but her father gave her away to Bhrigu because he was a better match. Puloman never forgot the slight and believed that Puloma was his. When he saw her, he was unsure of her true identity and asked Agni to identify her. Agni knew that if he revealed the truth, the raksasha would carry away the wife of Bhrigu, who would surely curse him. But speaking an untruth was worse than incurring Bhrigu's wrath; so Agni helped identify Puloma.
Puloman took the form of a boar and carried Puloma away, at which her foetus, enraged at this indignity, fell out of the womb and was born as Cyavana. Puloman saw the baby shining bright as the sun and was burnt to cinders. When Bhrigu returned, he cursed Agni. As it is with the epics, this is not the end of the story but the start of many more. The point here is Agni never prevaricates and is, therefore, a credible witness. That's why, when he is called to verify Sita's purity, Ram had to accept Agni's verdict.
Perhaps the Vedic seers were as convinced of the role of unfettered speech in society, even at the cost of offending the rich and powerful, just as modern day democracies are. The recent judgment also states that "mere discussion or even advocacy of a particular cause howsoever unpopular is at the heart" of free speech.
Turn to the Mahabharata and there is a profusion of dissenters, each given the due respect and importance despite the unpopularity of their views. Draupadi, often credited for sparking the epic battle, is a strong dissenter. She asks Yudhishthira who lost her in a game of dice, "Whom did you lose first? Yourself or me?" He is the righteous king but her question leaves him red-faced. The epic also does not censure her when she asks Bhima, "What grief hath she not who hath Yudhisthira for a husband?" Dissenters populate the Ramayana too. In several versions, Sita questions Ram's right to be the ideal man after he abandoned her in the forest.
By striking down Section 66A, the judges have communicated that the right to offend is an integral part of freedom of speech. In the Rig Veda, Vac, the goddess of speech, is said to be the friend of gods and people alike and she makes the one who loves her the most powerful. The judgment would definitely make the list.
The lucid Supreme Court judgment scrapping Section 66A of the Information Technology Act shines a bright light on the concept of free speech and draws upon several interesting references (literary and mythical) and judicial precedents.
For instance, the judges liken freedom of speech to the Ark of the Covenant between the Jewish god and his people and hence the founding principle for many world religions.
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If the judges had turned eastwards, they would have found an equally emphatic supporter of free speech. The first hymn in one of the world's most ancient texts, the Rig Veda, is dedicated to Agni, who is never afraid to speak the truth (interestingly, this hymn is among the oldest recorded pieces in the history of sound. It was recorded by Thomas Edison in the voice of Max Mueller.) Agni, priest of the gods and god of priests, is an important Vedic god. The Rig Veda includes several hymns that extol Agni's virtues as an objective witness to the actions of gods and people.
In the Mahabharata, Agni's propensity for veracity is tested in a story about the origins of the Bhrigu clan. Bhrigu, a powerful sage, married Puloma, who soon became pregnant with his heir. As the ninth month approached, Bhrigu was called away to preside over a royal yajna. At that time a raksasha named Puloman visited his ashram. Puloman and Puloma were betrothed as children but her father gave her away to Bhrigu because he was a better match. Puloman never forgot the slight and believed that Puloma was his. When he saw her, he was unsure of her true identity and asked Agni to identify her. Agni knew that if he revealed the truth, the raksasha would carry away the wife of Bhrigu, who would surely curse him. But speaking an untruth was worse than incurring Bhrigu's wrath; so Agni helped identify Puloma.
Puloman took the form of a boar and carried Puloma away, at which her foetus, enraged at this indignity, fell out of the womb and was born as Cyavana. Puloman saw the baby shining bright as the sun and was burnt to cinders. When Bhrigu returned, he cursed Agni. As it is with the epics, this is not the end of the story but the start of many more. The point here is Agni never prevaricates and is, therefore, a credible witness. That's why, when he is called to verify Sita's purity, Ram had to accept Agni's verdict.
Perhaps the Vedic seers were as convinced of the role of unfettered speech in society, even at the cost of offending the rich and powerful, just as modern day democracies are. The recent judgment also states that "mere discussion or even advocacy of a particular cause howsoever unpopular is at the heart" of free speech.
Turn to the Mahabharata and there is a profusion of dissenters, each given the due respect and importance despite the unpopularity of their views. Draupadi, often credited for sparking the epic battle, is a strong dissenter. She asks Yudhishthira who lost her in a game of dice, "Whom did you lose first? Yourself or me?" He is the righteous king but her question leaves him red-faced. The epic also does not censure her when she asks Bhima, "What grief hath she not who hath Yudhisthira for a husband?" Dissenters populate the Ramayana too. In several versions, Sita questions Ram's right to be the ideal man after he abandoned her in the forest.
By striking down Section 66A, the judges have communicated that the right to offend is an integral part of freedom of speech. In the Rig Veda, Vac, the goddess of speech, is said to be the friend of gods and people alike and she makes the one who loves her the most powerful. The judgment would definitely make the list.