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<div class="moz-cite-prefix">This is truly a landmark judgment,
very glad to have been one of the lawyers assisting the court on
these cases.<br>
<br>
<br>
On 03/24/2015 11:06 AM, Carolina Rossini wrote:<br>
</div>
<blockquote
cite="mid:CAK-FJAendJWO6raQ-GHCt7E5cMG5SLkZA7WwDC_9aTRqiRB9DQ@mail.gmail.com"
type="cite">
<div dir="ltr"><br>
<div class="gmail_quote">---------- Forwarded message ----------<br>
From: <b class="gmail_sendername">anubhuti yadav</b> <span
dir="ltr"><<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:anubhutiy@gmail.com">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 moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:krznakumar@gmail.com">krznakumar@gmail.com</a>><br>
Cc: "<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:isoc-members-announce@elists.isoc.org">isoc-members-announce@elists.isoc.org</a>"
<<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:isoc-members-announce@elists.isoc.org">isoc-members-announce@elists.isoc.org</a>>,
<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:isocconnect@isoc.org">isocconnect@isoc.org</a>,
"<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:internetpolicy@elists.isoc.org">internetpolicy@elists.isoc.org</a>"
<<a moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:internetpolicy@elists.isoc.org">internetpolicy@elists.isoc.org</a>>,
"<<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:inforum@isoc.org">inforum@isoc.org</a>>"
<<a moz-do-not-send="true" href="mailto:inforum@isoc.org">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 moz-do-not-send="true"
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 moz-do-not-send="true"
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
moz-do-not-send="true"
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
moz-do-not-send="true"
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 moz-do-not-send="true"
href="mailto:krznakumar@gmail.com"
target="_blank">krznakumar@gmail.com</a><br>
Mobile: <a moz-do-not-send="true"
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
moz-do-not-send="true"
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>
<br>
</div>
</div>
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<br clear="all">
<div><br>
</div>
-- <br>
<div>
<div dir="ltr">
<div><b>Dr. Anubhuti Yadav</b></div>
<div><b>Associate Professor, New Media</b></div>
<div><b>Indian Institute of Mass Communication</b></div>
<div><b>Aruna Asaf Ali Marg</b></div>
<div><b>New Delhi</b></div>
<div><b>Ph. no 9868942789</b></div>
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<div dir="ltr">
<div>
<div
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px;background-color:rgb(255,255,255)"><span
style="font-family:arial;font-size:small">-- </span><br
style="font-family:arial;font-size:small">
<div dir="ltr" style="font-family:arial;font-size:small">
<div
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px"><i>Carolina
Rossini </i></div>
<div
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px"><font
color="#666666"><i>Vice President, International
Policy</i></font></div>
<div
style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px"><b><font
color="#666666">Public Knowledge</font></b></div>
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target="_blank">http://www.publicknowledge.org/</a></u></span></font><br>
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style="font-family:arial,sans-serif;font-size:12.666666984558105px"><a
moz-do-not-send="true" value="+16176979389"
style="color:rgb(102,102,102)">+ 1 6176979389 | </a><font
color="#666666">skype: carolrossini | </font><font
color="#0000ff">@carolinarossini</font></div>
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<pre class="moz-signature" cols="72">--
Warm Regards
Mishi Choudhary, Esq.
Legal Director
Software Freedom Law Center
1995 Broadway Floor 17
New York, NY-10023
(tel) 212-461-1912
(fax) 212-580-0898
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