The Bench however rejected the prayer by Mr. Dua that criminal cases should be filed against journalists of 10 years’ standing only after it has been cleared by a committee set up for the purpose.
The Supreme Court on Thursday quashed a sedition case registered against senior journalist and Padma Shri awardee Vinod Dua for his critical remarks about the Prime Minister and the Union Government in a YouTube telecast, while underscoring its 59-year-old verdict that “strong words” of disapproval about the ruling regime does not amount to sedition.
A Bench led by Justice U.U. Lalit upheld the right of every journalist to criticise, even brutally, the measures of the government with a view to improve or alter them through legal means. The free speech of a journalist should be protected from charges of sedition.
The apex court judgment by Justice Lalit upheld the spirit and intent of its 1962 Kedar Nath Singh judgment, which said that “commenting in strong terms upon the…
