In a victory for proponents of free speech, the Supreme Court today struck down Section 66 A of the IT Act, which had permitted the arrest of people for posting offensive content on the internet. However, the Court upheld Section 69A, which allows the government to block websites based on a set of rules. <\/p>\n
What are your views on this ruling? Join us for a live chat today at 5.30 pm with: <\/p>\n
Gautam Bhatia, a practicing lawyer and author of \"Offend, shock or disturb: Free Speech under the constitution\" forthcoming in OUP. <\/p>\n
Geetha Hariharan, a Programme Officer at Centre for Internet and Society, focusing on Internet governance and freedom of expression. <\/p>\n
Lawrence Liang, Lawyer and researcher at Alternative Law Forum working on free speech. <\/p>\n
and G Ananth Krishnan, Coordinating Editor with The Hindu <\/p>\n
The Hindu: Hi all, welcome to the live chat on the Supreme Court's much-celebrated decision to strike down Section 66 A of the IT Act. There are caveats of course: For instance, the Court has upheld Section 69A, which allows the government to block websites based on a set of rules. <\/p>\n
5:30 <\/p>\n
The Hindu: Welcome to Gautam Bhatia, a practicing lawyer and author of \"Offend, shock or disturb: Free Speech under the constitution\" forthcoming in OUP. <\/p>\n
5:31 <\/p>\n
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See the rest here:<\/p>\n
Win for Free Speech<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" In a victory for proponents of free speech, the Supreme Court today struck down Section 66 A of the IT Act, which had permitted the arrest of people for posting offensive content on the internet. However, the Court upheld Section 69A, which allows the government to block websites based on a set of rules Continue reading