Some of the recent episodes of freedom of speech and expression on social networking sites in the near past have made many of us perplexed as to how much we can say that won’t get us into trouble or being a mute spectator could be the best approach. The clarity regarding freedom of expression is critical when a majority of today’s population use the internet all across the world and in our country. Ironically, India only claims to have free press as one could see a number of constraints to various forms of media. Even the top Indian newspapers apparently cannot dare write anything about certain politicians. In another incident a magazine which once held its name high for exposing Congress was supposedly raided and poached to submission. Now it covers critical stories on rival political parties. And then there are large media houses which sell ‘immunity from exposes’ for minimum revenue guarantee, and it works as a cherry on top for many of them to get off scot-free. This simply portrays a fact, that ‘freedom of press’ is a mere theoretical concept in India than a reality in the current scenario.
Mohd Ziyaullah Khan
Nagpur, M.S.