The FreeSpeechCollective, comprising journalists, lawyers and activists, aims to protect the right to freedom of expression and to vigorously promote free speech and the right to dissent. We monitor and document violations of free speech, debate issues and analyse major developments that impact Freedom of Expression. We also seek to provide solidarity and support to those who face attacks on their freedom of expression.
In the saddest way, the Supreme Court, by upholding a contempt charge against Senior advocate Prashant Bhushan for a tweet critiquing the judiciary, actually ended up confirming the substance of the tweet! A three-judge bench, comprising Justice Arun Mishra, B R Gavai and Krishna Murari, held that Bhushan […]
A year since the start of the longest communications clamp down, Free Speech Collective reached out to journalists from Kashmir to mark the day with their voices about a year in the abyss. “I would have loved to send video messages…can’t as we are running on 2g network” […]
The Forum for Human Rights, a group of concerned citizens led by Justice (retd.) Madan Lokur and Radha Kumar, documented the human rights violations in the eleven months of the shutdown in Kashmir following the abrogation of Art 370 on Aug 5, 2019. The report observed that the […]
‘Innocent until proved guilty’ is an abiding principle for judicial process, one that has been given the go by in numerous cases, thanks to selective police leaks and a brutal media trial that can dangerously prejudice public opinion. But now, an order of the Delhi High Court in […]
Dated: July 27, 2020 Statement in solidarity with Mr. Prashant Bhushan on the initiation of Criminal Contempt Proceedings against him We the undersigned citizens of the country, express our concern with the initiation of contempt proceedings against human right activist and advocate, Mr. Prashant Bhushan, by the Supreme […]
Last week, environmental groups were taken by surprise at the block on environmental websites and a notice by Delhi police against multiple emails sent to Environmental minister Prakash Jawadekar. The block has now been lifted but the notice remains. Radhika Jhaveri explains why Internet censorship has become a […]
“The power to punish for contempt is not meant for giving protection to individual judges. On the contrary, it intends to inspire confidence “in the sanctity and efficacy of the judiciary, though they do not and should not flow from the power to punish for contempt”. Rather, such […]
The People’s Union for Civil Liberties in a statement questioned the FIR lodged against former deputy chief minister Sachin Pilot and the 18 MLAs supporting him, who have been charged also under Section 124 A of the Indian Penal Code (sedition). Conspiring to destabilize an elected government is […]
