Judge’s warning : Curbs on dissent, personal liberty worrisome
The Tribune Editorial : Can citizens be deprived of their liberty for acts that may offend the sentiments of some people but do not clearly constitute a crime?
JUSTICE Ujjal Bhuyan has given the nation ample food for thought. Delivering a lecture at the Bhopal-based National Law Institute University last week, the Supreme Court judge questioned the arrest and prolonged detention of 14 youngsters who consumed chicken biryani while breaking their Ramzan fast on a boat ride on the Ganga in Uttar Pradesh earlier this year. He asserted that no law prohibited such an activity. The judge also expressed concern over the growing criminalisation of peaceful dissent. His sharp remarks have raised questions about the health of India’s democracy. Is the State going too far in policing personal choices, freedom of expression and protest? Can citizens be deprived of their liberty for acts that may offend the sentiments of some people but do not clearly constitute a crime?
