India Supreme Couort Strikes Down IT Act for Right to Speech Violations
In a landmark judgment on the Right to Freedom of Speech on the Internet, the Supreme Court on Tuesday quashed Section 66A of the Information Technology Act that empowers the police to make arrests over contentious social media posts. It ruled the law violate people’s fundamental right to speech and expression.
Shreya Singhal, a law student who had filed the first petition challenging the validity of Section 66A of the Information Technology Act, was jubilant after court verdict. She said it was a day for triumph of free speech.
A Bench of Justices J Chelameswar and Rohinton F Nariman held the provision to be “unconstitutional” and said it had to be struck down in its entirety. The Bench said the provision had no proximate relationship with the public order and lacked defined criteria on its exercise.
More: SC Strikes Down Sec 66A of IT Act, Says It Violates Right to Speech