BJD Leader Tathagata Satpathy Launches Campaign for Free Speech

SpeechBill is “a public consultation to help form consensus and debate to reform defamation law in India.”

The campaign which was organised by SpeechBill.in sought public participation by calling for their comments on the matter. (Photo Courtesy: SpeechBill.in)

BJD leader, Tathagata Satpathy, on Tuesday, launched a campaign aimed at decriminalizing defamation, strengthening free speech and protecting reputation.

The campaign was triggered by the rising number sedition cases being slapped on individuals or organizations over with allegations of anti-India slogans being raised by them.

The campaign which was organised by SpeechBill.in sought public participation by calling for their comments on the matter.

The ten principles of the #SpeechBill are highlighted below:

The website describes the Speechbill as “a public consultation to help form consensus and debate to reform defamation law in India.”

Maintaining  the criminal law of defence to be a clear threat to freedom of expression, the bill aims to achieve two things.

First, it removes the criminal defamation provision completely and second it brings a civil law to provide a better mechanism to deal with defamation matters. Such a framework may give a good balance to the right to free speech and the protection of a person’s...India must march in tandem with the world and make an effort to keep up with times. Our legislature needs to step in and deliberate on the nature of the Criminal Defamation law and its effects.

Speechbill Website

In May 2016, the Supreme Court upheld the constitution validity of penal laws of defamation maintaining that it doesn’t have any “chilling effect on freedom of speech.”