Free Speech

https://thewire.in/rights/academic-freedom-iisc-democracy-india 

In recent years, we have seen many such examples of the government intimidating the scholars working in the knowledge sector into silence. While academic freedom is being challenged, defamation lawsuits are becoming tools of harassment.

In 2022, India’s academic freedom index was in the bottom 30% among 179 countries, according to analysis by the V-Dem Institute. It flagged 22 countries, including India, China, the US and Mexico, where institutes recorded a slide in academic freedom over the past decade.

As part of the assessment, five indicators were used by the institutes. These include the freedom to research and teach, freedom to disseminate information, and the freedom of academic and cultural expression. The indicators also included encouraging a tradition of provocative thinking, controversial views, and non-conformity – which are conditions for sustaining a diverse and inclusive society.

Less discussed is how the decline in academic freedom impacts democracy itself. Democracy is not merely about protecting voting rights and conducting elections or maintaining the rule of law. While these are an important part of functioning democratic systems, the bedrock of democracy is a vibrant civic society.

In recent years, we have seen many such examples of the government intimidating the scholars working in the knowledge sector into silence. Information flow and civic discourses that encourage creativity are vital for a participatory democracy to thrive. While academic freedom is being challenged, defamation lawsuits are becoming tools of of harassment.

by C.P. Rajendran

08/07/2023

प्रेस की आज़ादी पर वेंकैया नायडू चौकाने वाला बयान !_venkaiah naidu on press freedom  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WPuyh6u9nDM

Journalists should feel free to criticise politicians; else democracy will be in danger: Venkaiah  https://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Hyderabad/journalists-should-feel-free-to-criticise-politicians-else-democracy-will-be-in-danger-venkaiah/article66744002.ece Mr. Naidu observed that the tribe of politicians agreeing with different viewpoints is decreasing, but at the same time, he also deplored the growing tendency of journalists to colour news with their views April 16, 2023 

A division bench of the Bombay high court had, on April 10, followed some strange reasoning while denying relief to

a  college teacher in Kolhapur. The teacher had sought quashing of an FIR against him for posting two messages on his WhatsApp status, one of which was critical of the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir . https://thewire.in/law/why-bombay-hcs-denial-of-free-speech-on-the-basis-of-profession-is-problematic 

According to the bench, this is all the more so when the emotions and sentiments behind a particular t

hing or aspect being criticised run high with different shades and hues among different groups of people. In such a case, the bench held that the criticism, disagreement, difference of opinion, dissent, whatever one may choose to call it, must be expressed upon an in-depth analysis and accompanied by reasons, so that the appeal that such critique makes is not to the emotions of groups of people but to reason.

by V. Venkatesan

17/04/202 

Use of the various seminar halls now depends on the pleasure of the university authorities. The spaces are usually given only for events with “nationalistic” themes. For members of the university community and organisations already marked for their scepticism towards India’s new brand of hyper-nationalism, there is no question of finding a place to discuss their ideas.

https://scroll.in/article/1046435/indias-thought-free-universities-and-the-danger-of-the-ripples-from-a-single-dissenting-pebble 

by Apoorvanand

31/03/2023