NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday stated that citizens must recognise the value of freedom of speech and expression and called for practising self-regulation as it considered guidelines to regulate offensive posts on social media.
A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and K V Viswanathan was hearing the case of Wazahat Khan, who faces multiple FIRs across states including West Bengal, over controversial posts on X targeting a Hindu deity.
The court had earlier granted Khan interim protection from coercive action on June 23, which has now been extended until July 14.
Khan had also lodged a complaint against social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli, alleging she had made communal remarks in a video.
His counsel told the court that offensive posts should not be responded to with similarly objectionable content. “The citizens must know the value of the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression. The State can step in case of violations… Nobody wants the State to step in,” Justice Nagarathna observed, as quoted by news agency PTI.
She further added, “All this divisive tendency on social media has to be curbed.”
Clarifying the court's stance, the bench noted that its approach was not about censorship. “There should be fraternity among citizens,” it said, while considering the need to frame guidelines on free speech and expression for citizens.
The court also pointed to the reasonable restrictions placed under Article 19(2) of the Constitution, stating they had “rightly been placed”.
The bench extended Khan’s interim protection from arrest until the next hearing and asked counsel to assist in addressing the broader issue of self-regulation in citizens’ use of free speech.
Khan was arrested by Kolkata Police on June 9. He told the apex court that FIRs had been filed against him in several states—Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Haryana—for old tweets.
He claimed the FIRs were in retaliation for his complaint against Panoli, who was arrested and later released on bail. “I have deleted all of them and apologised,” his counsel submitted, adding that Khan was perhaps “reaping what he has sown."
A bench of Justices B V Nagarathna and K V Viswanathan was hearing the case of Wazahat Khan, who faces multiple FIRs across states including West Bengal, over controversial posts on X targeting a Hindu deity.
The court had earlier granted Khan interim protection from coercive action on June 23, which has now been extended until July 14.
Khan had also lodged a complaint against social media influencer Sharmistha Panoli, alleging she had made communal remarks in a video.
His counsel told the court that offensive posts should not be responded to with similarly objectionable content. “The citizens must know the value of the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression. The State can step in case of violations… Nobody wants the State to step in,” Justice Nagarathna observed, as quoted by news agency PTI.
She further added, “All this divisive tendency on social media has to be curbed.”
Clarifying the court's stance, the bench noted that its approach was not about censorship. “There should be fraternity among citizens,” it said, while considering the need to frame guidelines on free speech and expression for citizens.
The court also pointed to the reasonable restrictions placed under Article 19(2) of the Constitution, stating they had “rightly been placed”.
The bench extended Khan’s interim protection from arrest until the next hearing and asked counsel to assist in addressing the broader issue of self-regulation in citizens’ use of free speech.
Khan was arrested by Kolkata Police on June 9. He told the apex court that FIRs had been filed against him in several states—Assam, West Bengal, Maharashtra, and Haryana—for old tweets.
He claimed the FIRs were in retaliation for his complaint against Panoli, who was arrested and later released on bail. “I have deleted all of them and apologised,” his counsel submitted, adding that Khan was perhaps “reaping what he has sown."
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