FROM POISONED CHALICE TO INK ATTACK (STRUGGLE OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION)

FROM POISONED CHALICE TO INK ATTACK

(STRUGGLE OF FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION)

–     DHILEEPAN PAKUTHARIVU

Dr.Ambedkar Govt. Law College, Chennai

“The assumption that we are infallible can we justify the suppression of opinions we think false. Ages are as fallible as individuals, every age having held many opinions which subsequent ages have deemed not only false but absurd.”                                                                           –     John Stuart Mill

Assault on freedom of expression is a global issue of all times. Socrates, who is believed as a veteran of freedom of expression contributed the method of ‘elenchus’ to the citizens of the world. Contemporaries accused him for corrupting the minds of the youth of Athens and of impiety and subsequently sentenced him to death by drinking hemlock. From that poisoned chalice, the defenders are still struggling for the freedom of expression even their faces smeared with black ink.

The classical study of world history corroborated the inhuman behaviour of the sovereign power of west against many scholars including Giordano Bruno, Galileo Galilei. After renaissance, the persistent brutality was perished and today it gives a space to think and refashion the concept of ‘freedom of expression’ in the global arena.

Article 19 of the constitution of Indian Union ensures the freedom of expression and certain other rights. However, in the press freedom index India ranks 140^th in the world and is evident the scenario that prevail in our society. The supreme court of India clarified that total ban on slaughter of bulls would be unreasonable¹. Even after such injunction the Hindutuva outfits noted for the vitriol and sometimes outright cruelty of their pronouncements against the spirit of constitution.

In recent past, Perumal Murugan came under attack for blasphemy from Hindutuva outfits for his novel ‘One Part Woman’. The life threatening acts of those outfits made him to state ‘Perumal Murugan the writer is dead’. Also systematic killing of rationalists and eminent writers like Narendra Dabholkar, Govind pansare, M.M.Kalburgi proves the intolerance of those religious outfits. These continuing rises of intolerance would result only in chaos. No brave man is afraid of his believes being criticised harshly. Only coward who cannot defend his believes peacefully. The writers peacefully returned their awards to the respective authorities for condemning the insufficient and biased actions of the government.

The state of emergency proclaimed by then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi is witnessed a direct assault on Democracy. But today, the situation is much more deteriorated than that. The fundamentals of pluralistic society are now under a great threat. Narendra Modi who claimed him-self as a strong man has no guts to condemn such persons. Unfortunately those filthy cadres are mostly a member of BJP or its ally. ‘Hindi-Hindu-Hindustan’, a fallacious slogan that spells out by these jingoists is quite same as ‘Sinhala-Buddhism-Srilanka’ which would surely end at fall of democracy.

India is said to be the nation of ‘Unity in Diversity’. In reality, the union government is not even ready to protect the linguistic, religious rights of various such ethnic peoples. Instead of Building India as a strong nation by ensuring pluralism², the government tend to impose Hindi on non-speakers to make India a unilingual theocratic state. Every intellect is well aware of consequences of such imperialistic policies but it is quite surprising that the bureaucrats are unaware! Apart from this, every citizen is well known of misuse of acts like POTA, AFSPA... against many innocents. It is so hard to claim right when state itself is act as an oppressor. The current government overlook the day-to-day stewardship of the Democracy and the politicians who took part in it are merely enjoying the benefits out of their Ministerial ship.

Only the brave and self-respect humans are never afraid of freedom of thought and freedom of expression of ideas. In democracy like India, the chance for expressing one’s view is the fundamental right that ensured by constitution. Once, such a freedom given up is not so easily regained. Luckily, the rational and secular intellects are standing on the forefront of the protests along with people, activists for defending the freedom of expression from both state and non state oppressors.

1. Hasmattulah v. State of Madhya Pradesh, AIR 1996 SC 2076;

2. Pluralism as defined by Lee Kwan Yew

(Published on - RALLY An AICUF Publication, November 2015 Vol.93 No.06 

Edition on the Topic 'Freedom of  Expression')