Police Should Value Right to Free Speech, Expression, Says SC

Seventy-five years into our independence, the freedom of speech and expression has to be understood by the police now

- Utkarsh Anand

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday delivered a sharp rebuke to the Gujarat police, emphasizing that law enforcement must understand and value the cherished right to free speech and expression, particularly 75 years into India's independence.

A bench of justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan criticized the police for registering a first information report (FIR) against Congress Rajya Sabha parliamentarian Imran Pratapgarhi for posting a poem on social media, as it underlined the importance of artistic freedom and sensitivity in matters of creative expression.

"Seventy-five years into our independence, the freedom of speech and expression has to be understood by the police now," asserted the bench, highlighting the constitutional significance of the issue.

Hearing Pratapgarhi's petition for the quashing of the FIR against him, the court expressed dismay over the criminal case, observing that law enforcement had shown a "lack of sensitivity" and "no respect for creativity".