Supreme Court’s decision to uphold constitutional validity of defamation law deserves applause and appreciation from one and all. Not surprising that it was contested by Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal and Subramanian Swamy as they were the ones who were washing their dirty linen in public against each other and trying to get reprieve under the blanket of right to freedom of speech. A coin has two sides and both are very important for it to be accepted in law and circulation. Freedom of speech is a fundamental right but that does not mean that you can play with the basic rights of fellow citizens by defaming them for no reason just because you are allowed to speak what you want. A driving license gives you a right to steer your vehicle. However, that does mean you can go and bang pedestrians on footpaths as you have to follow certain traffic rules while driving and freedom of speech too is similar as you have to mind your words in public life to maintain decorum. Time for politicians and other celebrities with power and money to behave in a responsible manner to set good examples for their vast followers to emulate as people look upon them for guidance and trend. The law should be strict and offenders be punished so that it acts as a deterrent for people to speak nonsense against each other!
S.N. Kabra
(The views expressed by the author in the article are his/her own.)
