Truth to power

The law should not restrict freedom of speech in a democracy

Over the past decade, the space for freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the Constitution of India has been under increasing threat. A growing number of Indian citizens have been hauled before courts and thrown into jail merely for criticising and parodying political leaders, or revealing corruption and other scandals perpetrated by state authorities. A number of these arrests are made under the sedition laws (with assassination conspiracies occasionally thrown in). How does this development square with Constitutional guarantees under Article 19 (1) (a)? Politicians may drone on about the “anti-national” proclivities of those who bravely speak truth to