Calhoun1

HannahCalhoun
Ms.Alvarado
WorldStudies2
29April2016
FreedomofSpeechandExpressioninIndia
InIndia,writersandartistsofallkindsarebeingharassed,suedandarrestedforwhat
theysay,writeorcreate.1Thegovernmenttriestosubduethosewhospeakoutagainstit,like
journalistJagendraSingh2,whoworkedfordailypaperssuchasAmarUjala,Hindustan,and
SwatantraBharatbeforehefocusedhiswritingtosocialnetworks.Mr.Singhdiedfromthe60
percentburninjurieshereceivedwhenpoliceaccompaniedbyagovernmentofficialraidedhis
homeinShahjahanpur.Thegovernmentwasactingagainsthimbecausehewasacriticofthe
waytheyhandlethings.Hemayhavebeenkilledsohewouldnotcontinuetorallypeople
againstthegovernment.Thebrash,appallingactsofviolencetowardsandincarcerationof
journalistscarriedoutbygovernmentofficialsandpoliceofficersistheforemostviolationof
freedomofspeechinIndia.
CurrentStatusofFreedomofExpressioninIndia
Citizensofthecountryhavetherighttoinformationaboutthetruth,bothoftheheinous
actsbeingcarriedoutagainstthosewhousetheirvoice,andofthegovernmentofficialswho
silencethosevoices.3Therighttofreedomofspeechistotellothersofwhatisbeingdoneinthe
1

Mehta,Suketu."IndiasSpeechImpediments."TheNewYorkTimes.February05,2013.AccessedMarch15,
2016.http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/opinion/indiaslimitedfreedomofspeech.html?_r=0.
2
"PoliceSaidtoHaveSetFiretoJournalist,CausingHisDeath|ReporterswithoutBorders."RSF.2015.Accessed
March15,2016.http://en.rsf.org/indiapolicesaidtohavesetfireto10062015,47995.html.
3
Patanjali,Dheerajendra."IndiaLawJournal."IndiaLawJournal.AccessedMarch14,2016.
http://indialawjournal.com/volume3/issue_4/article_by_dheerajendra.html.

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caseofthegovernmentshouldnotbelimited,andyetthecountrysofficialsseemtobetrying
theirbesttokeepanyinformationfromgettingintothehandsofthepeople.Inmanycases,
journalistsaretargetedbypoliceandgovernmentofficersbecauseofwhattheyhavewritten.
OnesuchcaseisthatofJagendraSingh.4Singh,ajournalist,wassetafirebypoliceinspector
SriprakashRaiwhenhishomewasraidedbyRaiandotherpolice,aswellasagovernment
official.Hewastakentothehospital,wherehenamedRaiasthepersonwhosethimonfire
beforesuccumbingtohisinjuries.However,arepresentativeforthepolicedeniedSinghs
version,insteadmakingtheclaimthatSinghlithimselfonfireinordertoavoidarrest.Whatthis
representativefailedtomentionisthegroundsonwhichthepolicewantedtoarrestSingh.This
showsthatpeoplemostimpactedbythethesehumanrightsviolationsarejournalists,becauseas
withSingh,thegovernmentblatantlyignorestherighttofreedomofspeechinordertosilence
thosedeemeddangerousorantinational.Furthermore,suspiciouscircumstancessuchasthis
arenearlyalwayscoveredupbythepolice.TheyraidedSinghshomewithoutajustcause5,
insteaddoingsotocoverupwhathehadbeenwritingabout.Hewaslikelykilledsohewould
notcontinuetorallypeopleagainstthecorruptadministration.
Whilealargeportionofthoseaffectedbytheactionsofthegovernmentandpoliceare
journalists,thereareothersaffectedaswell.Thepoliticalmanipulationofthepoliceforcecould
alsobethecauseofthearrestofKanhaiyaKumar,astudentleader.Kumarwasarrestedafter
participatinginanantigovernmentprotest.6Hisarrest,andthelackofasubsequentcharge
showsthatthegovernmentprotectsitselfanditsinterests,withlittlecareforciviliansfreedom

PoliceSaidtoHaveSetFiretoJournalist,CausingHisDeath
PoliceSaidtoHaveSetFiretoJournalist,CausingHisDeath
6
Sugden,Joanna."JNUControversy:WhatIndiaSaidAboutFreedomofSpeech."WSJ.February19,2016.
AccessedMarch17,2016.
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2016/02/19/whatindiasaidaboutfreedomofspeechandthejnucontroversy/.
5

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ofspeech.Governmentandpoliceofficialssimplyfollowtheirownagenda.Infact,thecountrys
corruptionisthemaincontributortothelackoffreedomofspeechandexpression.
BackgroundonFreedomofExpression
ThiscorruptionandbasicunscrupulousnesspresentingovernmentinIndiaisthemain
reasonforthelackoffreedomofspeechandexpression.Manygovernmentofficialssharethe
viewsofHomeMinisterRajnathSingh,whostated:AnyoneraisingantiIndiaslogansand
questiontheintegrityofthecountrywouldnotbespared.7Manycitizensareholdingprotests
againstthegovernmentsfoultreatmentofthosewhodaretospeakoutagainstthem.InFebruary
ofthisyear,oneofthebiggestnationwidestudentprotestsoccurred8.RahiliaParween,
vicepresidentoftheDelhiunitofaleftwingstudentunioncalledtheAllIndiaStudents'
Federation,saysonthesubject,Thegovernmentdoesnotwantstudentstohaveasay.Itwants
todictatewhatstudentsthink,understandandsay.9Thegovernmentisalsocloselymonitoring
theinternet,andhasevendemandedthatcompaniesaliketoGoogleandFacebookscreen
contentbeforereleasingittothepublicsotheycanremoveitemsthatcouldbelabeledas
disparagingorinflammatory.10Theinternetisaplacewherepeopleshouldbeallowedtosay
whattheywant,aslongasitcausesnoemotionalorphysicaltrauma.However,thepolitical
leadersofIndiawantcompletecontroloverthecitizens,showingtheinstabilitybehindmanyof
theofficialsinoffice.Infact,becauseoftheinternet,censorshiphasariseninnewanddifferent
ways,makingiteasierforthegovernmenttofilteroutwhattheydonotwantthepublictohear.

"JNUControversy:WhatIndiaSaidAboutFreedomofSpeech."
"IndianStudentsProtestinThousandsasGovernmentCracksdownonDissent."Reuters.February15,2016.
AccessedApril12,2016.http://www.reuters.com/article/usindiapoliticsidUSKCN0VO1I8.
9
"IndianStudentsProtestinThousandsasGovernmentCracksdownonDissent."
10
"IndiasSpeechImpediments."
8

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Intheirtriestomuffleoutcriesaboutthethewaythingsarehandled,thecensorshipisoften
timescompleteoverkill.Thisisshownincasessuchasonein2012,whenpoliceinMumbai
arresteda21yearoldwomanforcomplainingonFacebookabouttheshutdownofthecityafter
thedeathofapolitician.11Thepoliceclaimedthatthewomanwashurtingreligioussentiments,
butthisinstancecouldhavesimplybeenawaytoprovethatifacitizenspeaksoutagainstthe
government,evenonasocialnetworklikeFacebook,thecorruptpoliticianswithinwillfind
somewaytopersecutethem.
Ofcourse,Indiaisnottheonlycountrydealingwiththelackoffreedomofspeechand
expression.AccordingtotheWorldPressFreedomIndex,12whichrankstheperformanceof180
countriesaccordingtoarangeofcriteriathatincludemediapluralismandindependence,respect
forthesafetyandfreedomofjournalists,andthelegislative,institutionalandinfrastructural
environmentinwhichthemediaoperate,Indiawasranked140thoutof180countriesin2015,
andisexpectedtodropevenfurtherin2016.Thecountrywasranked80thin2000(outof134).
Thelargedropinrankingsince2002showsthatsomethingchangedduringthattimethatmade
thecountrysgovernmentmuchmoreinvolvedinthepreventionofthehumanright.Thecause
couldhavebeentheincreaseintelecommunicationservices.CompanieslikeFacebook(started
in2004)andwidespreadaccesstoonlinenewsandjournalsgavepeoplemoreaccesstoexpress
theirbeliefsandshowcaseinformationtheyfind.Thus,theremusthavebeenaninfluxof
antigovernmentstatementsfrom2002to2016.

11

Parmar,Ram."21yearoldGirlHeldforFacebookPostQuestioningMumbai's'BalThackerayShutdown'The
TimesofIndia."TheTimesofIndia.November19,2012.AccessedMarch16,2016.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/21yearoldgirlheldforFacebookpostquestioningMumbaisBalThacke
rayshutdown/articleshow/17276979.cms?referral=PM.
12
"2015WorldPressFreedomIndex."2015WorldPressFreedomIndex.AccessedMarch15,2016.
http://index.rsf.org/#!/indexdetails/IND

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ModernDayResponsessince1948
Inotherplacesaroundtheworld,liketheU.S.,thegovernmenthasmadetheline
betweenwhatisallowedandwhatisnotintermsoffreedomofspeechveryclear.Byusingthe
MillerTest,ortheThreeProngObscenityTest13,thegovernmentcandecidewhethersomething
isoverlyobscene,aswellaswhetherthework,takenasawhole,lacksseriousliterary,artistic,
political,orscientificvalue(Pp.2425)14.Thespecificswithinthelawsandtestsforwhatis
allowedconcerningfreedomofspeechhasactuallyexpandedfreedomofspeechintheUnited
States.
MultiplecountriesinEuropearepartoftheCouncilofEurope15,anorganizationwhich
hassubsetsdealingspecificallywithhumanrights.Thisorganizationconnectscountrieswithin
inthecaseofhumanrightsandhelpsthemtohavesimilarregulations.Italsomakesitsothe
countriesbelongingtotheCouncilwillnotoppresstheircitizensfreedomofspeech,persay,
becauseofthespecificityofthelawsmadebytheCouncil.
EvaluationandRecommendation
FreedomofspeechinIndiaislimitedbecauseoftheactionsofthegovernment.The
loopholeswithinthelawsallowgovernmentofficialsandpoliceofficerstosilencethosewhotry
tospeakoutagainstthem.Thus,theonlywaytoextendfreedomofspeechinIndiaistogetrid
ofcorruptioninthegovernmentortolimitthemanipulabilityofthelawsandthepoliceforce.

13

"ThreeProngObscenityTest."ThreeProngObscenityTest.AccessedApril12,2016.
http://courses.cs.vt.edu/cs3604/lib/Censorship/3prongtest.html.
14
"ThreeProngObscenityTest."
15
"Conventions"TreatyOffice.AccessedApril12,2016.
http://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/fulllist//conventions/treaty/005.

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OnesolutiontothisproblemisforIndiatoprotectitsdemocracybydevisingahigher
courtforactionsagainstjournaliststhatisnotopentolocalpolitics.Policewouldhavetogo
throughthisspecialcourtinordertoobtainwarrantsforthearrest,questioning,ordetentionofa
bonafidejournalist.Indiaalreadyaffordsspecialprotectionstomembersofitslowestclass.
Journalistsshouldbegivenatleastthesamelevelofaprotection.Thiswouldmakeitmuch,
muchharderforcorruptgovernmentofficialsandpoliceofficerstodoastheyplease.
Anothersolutiontothispervasiveproblemistoturnthetablesontheauthorities,
meaningstifferpenaltiesforthosewhoviolatenotonlyfreedomofexpression,buthumanrights
ingeneral.Aspecialenforcementagencywithwiderangingpowersshouldbecreatedinorderto
prosecutethosewhoabusetheirpowerstoinfringeupontherightsofthepeople.Furthermore,
stringentpunishmentshouldbegivenasadeterrent.
PoliticalcorruptionistherootcauseofthetramplingofhumanrightsinIndia.This
fledgelingdemocracyisatacrossroads.Itcaneitherspiraldownwardintoatotalitarianregime
orstepupandprotectingthehumanrightsofitscitizensandespeciallyitsjournalists.Without
thethreatofconsequencesforspeakingtheiropinions,thecitizensofIndiawouldnolongerbe
forcedtoenduretheactionsofcorruptofficialsinsilence.Withstrongprotectionsandstiff
consequences,thecitizensofIndiawouldgainbacktheirrighttonotonlyfreedomofspeechand
expression,butalltheirotherhumanrights,aswell.

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WorksCited
Mehta,Suketu."IndiasSpeechImpediments."TheNewYorkTimes.February05,2013.
AccessedMarch15,2016.
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/02/06/opinion/indiaslimitedfreedomofspeech.html?_r=0.
"PoliceSaidtoHaveSetFiretoJournalist,CausingHisDeath|ReporterswithoutBorders."
RSF.2015.AccessedMarch15,2016.
http://en.rsf.org/indiapolicesaidtohavesetfireto10062015,47995.html.
Patanjali,Dheerajendra."IndiaLawJournal."IndiaLawJournal.AccessedMarch14,2016.
http://indialawjournal.com/volume3/issue_4/article_by_dheerajendra.html.
Sugden,Joanna."JNUControversy:WhatIndiaSaidAboutFreedomofSpeech."WSJ.
February19,2016.AccessedMarch17,2016.
http://blogs.wsj.com/indiarealtime/2016/02/19/whatindiasaidaboutfreedomofspeechandthe
jnucontroversy/.
"IndianStudentsProtestinThousandsasGovernmentCracksdownonDissent."Reuters.
February15,2016.AccessedApril12,2016.
http://www.reuters.com/article/usindiapoliticsidUSKCN0VO1I8.
Parmar,Ram."21yearoldGirlHeldforFacebookPostQuestioningMumbai's'BalThackeray
Shutdown'TheTimesofIndia."TheTimesofIndia.November19,2012.AccessedMarch16,
2016.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/india/21yearoldgirlheldforFacebookpostquestioningM
umbaisBalThackerayshutdown/articleshow/17276979.cms?referral=PM.
"2015WorldPressFreedomIndex."2015WorldPressFreedomIndex.AccessedMarch15,
2016.http://index.rsf.org/#!/indexdetails/IND
"ThreeProngObscenityTest."ThreeProngObscenityTest.AccessedApril12,2016.
http://courses.cs.vt.edu/cs3604/lib/Censorship/3prongtest.html.
"Conventions"TreatyOffice.AccessedApril12,2016.
http://www.coe.int/en/web/conventions/fulllist//conventions/treaty/005.