Frontline – July 05, 2019

FREEDOMOF EXPRESSION

THEre-electionof the Bharatiya
Janata Party-led National Demo-
craticAlliance at the Centrehasfur-
thernarrowedthetolerance levels
for freedomof expression,especially
in States where the BJPis in power.
Anyattemptto lampoonits leaders,
directlyor indirectly,is tantamount
to testingthe scopeof the exerciseof
the constitutional guarantee of free-
domof expression. In this, whatever
thelegalprovisionsandthejudicial
ordersmaysay in defenceof freedom
of expression,thosein powerare
likelyto invokethe legalprocessas a
punishmentin itself,evenif theac-
tiontakenagainstsuchdissenters
cannotstandup to legalscrutinyand
is liableto be struckdownon that
ground.
On June8, the UttarPradeshpo-
lice arrested a Hindi language journ-
alist,Prashant Kanojia,for sharinga
videoon his Twitter handleand
FacebookpageaboutUttarPradesh
ChiefMinisterYogiAdityanath.In
thevideoclip,a womanclaimsthat
she has beenhavingvideochatswith
Adityanathfor a yearandwantsto
knowwhether theChiefMinister
willmarryher.In thevideo,sheis
seentalkingto reportersof various
media organisations outside the
ChiefMinister’sofficein Lucknow.
Sheevenclaims to havesenthima
marriage proposal.
Adityanathis a monk,andthe
publicsharing of thevideohasap-
parentlyhurthis imageas a bachelor.
TheUttarPradeshpolice pickedup
Kanojia fromhis homein Delhiand

tookhimto Lucknowpursuant to the

first informationreport (FIR) re-

gisteredby theHazratgunjPolice

Stationin Lucknow.

On June11, the SupremeCourt’s

vacationbench comprisingJustices

IndiraBanerjeeandAjayRastogi

orderedtheimmediaterelease of

Kanojiaon bail.It asked theUttar

Pradeshgovernmentto showmag-

nanimity as thequestioninvolved

denialof a citizen’sliberty.“Thefun-

damentalrights guaranteedunder

the Constitution of Indiaandin par-

ticularArticles19 and21 of the Con-

stitution of India are

non-negotiable,”the bench held,tak-

ingseriousnoteof thefactthatthe

PTI

PRASHANTKANOJIA,aHindi journalist,beingreleasedfromthe Lucknow

jail on June12.

Unlawful arrests

Byarrestingjournalistsfortheirsocialmedia postsunderthe

provisionsofthe ITActthat theSupremeCourthasstruck down,

theUttarPradeshPolice displayscantregardforthe lawand

formedia freedom.BYV.VENKATESAN