The Stream

Cyber speech restrictions gutted by Indian court

Indians praise scrapping of ‘draconian’ law banning ‘offensive’ or ‘seditious’ content.

The controversial Section 66A of India’s Information Technology Act has been declared “unconstitutional” by the Supreme Court, a move supported by free speech activists.

The judgment came after a law student filed a petition in 2012 following the arrest of two students in Mumbai. The students had criticised a city shutdown after the death of Hindu right-wing leader Bal Thackeray. Their arrests led to protests against the law. 

Using #66A and #Section66A, many praised the Supreme Court decision: