<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#333333">Carolina</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#333333"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#333333"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#333333">Even though the Government argued that the purpose of the Act was not to curtail freedom of expression, the result was exactly that, intended or unintended. It is comforting to hear of this judgement by the Supreme Court of India.</div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#333333"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#333333"><br></div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif;font-size:small;color:#333333">Sivasubramanian M</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div class="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><a href="https://www.facebook.com/sivasubramanian.muthusamy" target="_blank">Sivasubramanian M</a></div></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Mar 24, 2015 at 8:36 PM, Carolina Rossini <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:carolina.rossini@gmail.com" target="_blank">carolina.rossini@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div><div class="h5"><br><div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>From: <b class="gmail_sendername">anubhuti yadav</b> <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:anubhutiy@gmail.com" target="_blank">anubhutiy@gmail.com</a>></span><br>Date: Tue, Mar 24, 2015 at 2:49 AM<br>Subject: Re: [ISOC] [Internet Policy] Misuse of : section 66 A IT act of Indian government<br>To: Krishna Kumar <<a href="mailto:krznakumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">krznakumar@gmail.com</a>><br>Cc: "<a href="mailto:isoc-members-announce@elists.isoc.org" target="_blank">isoc-members-announce@elists.isoc.org</a>" <<a href="mailto:isoc-members-announce@elists.isoc.org" target="_blank">isoc-members-announce@elists.isoc.org</a>>, <a href="mailto:isocconnect@isoc.org" target="_blank">isocconnect@isoc.org</a>, "<a href="mailto:internetpolicy@elists.isoc.org" target="_blank">internetpolicy@elists.isoc.org</a>" <<a href="mailto:internetpolicy@elists.isoc.org" target="_blank">internetpolicy@elists.isoc.org</a>>, "<<a href="mailto:inforum@isoc.org" target="_blank">inforum@isoc.org</a>>" <<a href="mailto:inforum@isoc.org" target="_blank">inforum@isoc.org</a>><br><br><br><div dir="ltr"><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">In a landmark judgment, Supreme Court has struck down Section 66A of the IT Act. In their order, the court said, Section 66A is violative of Article 19(1)(a), not saved by Article 19(2), hence unconstitutional. </p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">The division bench said <font color="#000000" face="arial"> </font>public's right to know is directly affected by Section 66A of Information Technology Act. The apex court also said Section 66A of IT Act clearly affects Right to <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/topic/freedom-of-speech" style="color:rgb(39,49,245);border:0px;outline:0px;font-weight:700;background:transparent" target="_blank">Freedom of Speech</a> and Expression enshrined under Constitution.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">SC, however, refused to strike down two other provisions of the IT Act that provide blocking of sites. </p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Thr Court said there is a difference between discussion, advocacy and incitement.Discussion & advocacy, no matter how annoying, is allowed said the division bench in it's judgment. Court while delivering the verdict said liberty and liberty of thought is of paramount importance in a country like India</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><strong><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(204,0,0);width:auto">11:37 IST</span><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(149,149,149);width:270.921875px;float:right;text-align:right">Tuesday, 24 March 2015</span></strong></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Former Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tiwary has welcomed the judgment. He said that the law was misused too often and hence it needed to go.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)"><strong><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(204,0,0);width:auto">11:26 IST</span><span style="margin:0px;padding:0px;color:rgb(149,149,149);width:270.921875px;float:right;text-align:right">Tuesday, 24 March 2015</span></strong></p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)"> Rinu Srinivasan, one of the girls who was arrested under the section for a Facebook post on Bal Thackeray welcome the decision of Supreme Court. She said, "If this law is repealed it may encourage people to speak up and against all the wrong in the world". "I am very happy. I feel like we have received justice after two years," she said.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">......................................................</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">A bench of justices J Chelameswar and R F Nariman had on February 26 reserved its judgement after Government concluded its arguments contending that section 66A of the Information Technology Act cannot be "quashed" merely because of the possibility of its "abuse".</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">Additional Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had said that the Government did not want to curtail the freedom of speech and expression at all which is enshrined in the Constitution, but the vast cyber world could not be allowed to remain unregulated.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">However, the court had said that terms like 'illegal', 'grossly offensive' and 'menacing character' were vague expressions and these words were likely to be misunderstood and abused. Some of the petitions seek setting aside of section 66A of the Information Technology Act which empowers police to arrest a person for allegedly posting offensive materials on social networking sites.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">The first PIL on the issue was filed in 2012 by a law student Shreya Singhal, who sought amendment in Section 66A of the Act, after two girls -- Shaheen Dhada and Rinu Shrinivasan -- were arrested in Palghar in Thane district as one of them posted a comment against the shutdown in Mumbai following Shiv Sena leader Bal Thackeray's death and the other 'liked' it.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">The apex court had on May 16, 2013, come out with an advisory that a person, accused of posting objectionable comments on social networking sites, cannot be arrested without police getting permission from senior officers like IG or DCP.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">The direction had come in the wake of numerous complaints of harassment and arrests, sparking public outrage. It had, however, refused to pass an interim order for a blanket ban on the arrest of such persons across the country.</p><p style="margin:0px 0px 20px;font-family:'Open Sans',helvetica,arial;padding:0px;line-height:28px;font-size:16px;color:rgb(0,0,0)">source: <a href="http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-live-supreme-court-strikes-down-section-66a-of-it-act-2071523" target="_blank">http://www.dnaindia.com/india/report-live-supreme-court-strikes-down-section-66a-of-it-act-2071523</a></p></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Tue, Mar 24, 2015 at 11:34 AM, Krishna Kumar <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:krznakumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">krznakumar@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">Hello,</div><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif">This news should offer some hope! :) </div><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><br></div><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Cambria;font-size:18px;line-height:25.7142868041992px">Striking down any attempt at curbing the freedom of expression on the internet, the Supreme Court today ruled that Section 66A of the IT Act is "unconstitutional". </span><br></div><div style="font-family:verdana,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(51,51,51);font-family:Cambria;font-size:18px;line-height:25.7142868041992px"><br></span></div><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><a href="http://www.thenewsminute.com/news_sections/3358" target="_blank">http://www.thenewsminute.com/news_sections/3358</a> </font><br></div><div><font face="verdana, sans-serif"><br></font></div><div><br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br clear="all"><div><div><div dir="ltr"><font face="verdana, sans-serif">Best Regards,<br><br>Krishna Kumar <br>
Secretary - Internet Society India Chennai <br>Mail: <a href="mailto:krznakumar@gmail.com" target="_blank">krznakumar@gmail.com</a><br>Mobile: <a value="+919790523076">+91 97905 23076</a><br>
Skype: rkrzna</font></div></div></div>
<br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div>On Mon, Mar 23, 2015 at 3:10 PM, srajukanumuri <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:srajukanumuri@gmail.com" target="_blank">srajukanumuri@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br></div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_extra"><div>Dear Members ,<br><br></div> One option we can have as all ISOC global chapters members or ISOC , internet policy board can have common letter addressed to Indian PM, HMO and supreme court Judges who are dealing this case. International human rights can also<br>address this issue. THE TSHWANE PRINCIPLES : GLOBAL PRINCIPLES ON NATIONAL SECURITY AND THE RIGHT TO INFORMATION addressed this issue. During IGF and Netmundial we must address this issue as serious matter for all open<br></div><div class="gmail_extra">internet citizens of world. Under ISOC , Internet policy or IGF if we create a global team or List serve to help citizens of world<br></div><div class="gmail_extra">who are facing problems with lousy laws. <br><br></div><div class="gmail_extra">Kanumuri s raju<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br></div></div>
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