A division bench of the Bombay high court had, on April 10, followed some strange reasoning while denying relief to
a college teacher in Kolhapur. The teacher had sought quashing of an FIR against him for posting two messages on his WhatsApp status, one of which was critical of the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution in Jammu and Kashmir . https://thewire.in/law/why-bombay-hcs-denial-of-free-speech-on-the-basis-of-profession-is-problematic
According to the bench, this is all the more so when the emotions and sentiments behind a particular t
hing or aspect being criticised run high with different shades and hues among different groups of people. In such a case, the bench held that the criticism, disagreement, difference of opinion, dissent, whatever one may choose to call it, must be expressed upon an in-depth analysis and accompanied by reasons, so that the appeal that such critique makes is not to the emotions of groups of people but to reason.
17/04/202