Freedom Of Speech
SC slams WB Police for summoning Delhi resident who criticised Mamata govt on Facebook over lockdown
New Delhi/IBNS: The Supreme Court has slammed the West Bengal Police for summoning a Delhi resident, who had criticised the Mamata Banerjee government in a Facebook post over the enforcement of anti-Covid-19 lockdown, media reports said.
A 29-year old woman, named Roshni Biswas, had criticised the non-implementation of lockdown in Kolkata strictly and allowing large congregation in Muslim dominant Raja Bazar area in the city.
Biswas had challenged the issuance of the summon and the Calcutta High Court's order asking her to appear before police for questioning.
Pulling up the police, a top court bench said, "Summoning her from Delhi to Kolkata is sheer harassment. Tomorrow, police from Kolkata, Mumbai, Manipur and Chennai will summon people from all parts of India to send a chilling message, 'You want freedom of speech, we will teach you a lesson'."
Justice DY Chandrachud said, "This is browbeating a citizen for exercising right to free speech. One can’t be prosecuted for saying the pandemic is not dealt with properly."
"Do not cross the line. Let India remain a free country... The reason why the Supreme Court was created by the Constitution is to ensure that ordinary citizens are not harassed by the state," the top court added.
The Supreme Court has asked police to send a questionnaire to Biswas via mail or question her through video conferencing.
The Mamata Banerjee government in West Bengal has often been pulled up by the courts for allegedly coming down on people who criticised the administration.
In 2019, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) youth wing leader Priyanka Sharma was arrested for sharing a morphed image of Banerjee on social media.
In 2012, a year after the Trinamool Congress (TMC) came to power, Jadavpur University (JU) Professor Ambikesh Mahapatra was arrested for forwarding a cartoon of the CM to his friends via an email.
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