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Less than two years after he stepped down as Vice-Chancellor, noted scholar, political scientist and commentator Pratap Bhanu Mehta resigned as professor from Ashoka University Tuesday. Mehta, who is also Contributing Editor, The Indian Express, has consistently, in his writing and public appearances, questioned the ruling establishment. He is considered one of the nation’s foremost scholars on politics and political theory, Constitutional law, governance and political economy.

Asked by The Indian Express if his criticism of the government had anything to do with his exit, the university sidestepped the question.

 The Jammu and Kashmir high court has ruled that authorities deprived Kashmiri journalist and editor Fahad Shah of his “constitutional and legal rights” while terming the grounds of his detention under the controversial Public Safety Act (PSA) as “mere surmise” and “vague and bald assertions.” https://thewire.in/law/fahad-shah-public-safety-act-jammu-kashmir-high-court 

Quashing the proceedings under the PSA, which has been termed as ‘a lawless law’ by Amnesty International, a single bench of J&K HC led by Justice Wasim Sadiq Nargal ruled that the authorities “did not carefully evaluate and apply their thoughts” while issuing the PSA order.

by Jehangir Ali

20/04/2023

Bombay High Court Refuses To Quash FIR Against Kashmiri Professor Booked For WhatsApp Status Calling Abrogation Of Article 370 "Black Day For J&K" https://www.livelaw.in/high-court/all-high-courts/bombay-high-court-professor-abrogation-article-370-black-day-jammu-kashmir-whatsapp-status-fir-dissent-criticism-analysis-democracy-226339

When I look at the court observation that .. “In our view, this message has the tendency to play with emotions of different groups of people in India as there are strong feelings of contrasting nature about status of Jammu and Kashmir in India and, therefore, one has to tread cautiously in such a field, lest the emotions may reach up to sucha level as to bring about consequences or reasonable possibility of consequences visiting as envisaged in Section 153-A of IPC,” the court added.

Comments of WhatsApp: .. It looks like there is a conservative Collective consciousness  in the benches, that is uncomfortable with liberal ideas, which seems to agree that "khatre mein hain" logic...

the observation “So, if any criticism is to be made, it must be upon evaluation of all pros and cons of the situation and backed by reason,” means that you cannot have any criticism on "strong feelings of contrasting nature" on any short messaging app, like WA, Instagram, Twitter.. "evaluation of all pros and con" and back up of "reason" should be "seen" and not heard in the courts!