Censorship – The Arts
The film, directed by British-Indian filmmaker Sandhya Suri, has travelled the globe, earning accolades and acclaim from festivals like Cannes to the Oscars. However, when it aimed to return to its homeland and reach the audience it is based upon, it faced a setback. Santosh was banned because the creators refused to comply with the Central Board of Film Certification's demands for edits that would cut out vital scenes. Read More
On Feb 2, 2024, students of Pune University’s Lalit Kala Kendra were subjected to attacks and harassment by members of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) and the Bharatiya Jan Yuva Morcha (BJYM) when they were making an examination presentation of a play of a Ram Leela rehearsal. Acting on a complaint by ABVP member, […] Read More
Rapper Rajesh Mungase, who faced charges of defamation and inciting public mischief, obtained interim protection from arrest till April 25. Mungase’s video had raised issues about the injustice meted out to the common people and did not target any person specifically, his lawyers argued. Days after the case against Mungase was registered, another rapper, Umesh […] Read More
By Geeta Seshu The Bengaluru police action that resulted in the cancellation of comedian Munawar Faruqui’s show in the city is shameful. More than just a caving in to right-wing pressure, it is a clear abrogation of the duty of the police to uphold law and order. On Sunday, Nov 28, Faruqui was slated to […] Read More
Journalists, politicians and human rights activists across the world had been spied upon by their governments using a spyware tool, ‘Pegasus’, struck at the very heart of the trust imposed by citizens on the State, especially in democracies, to safeguard their personal data and privacy. Read More
This provision will effectively give the Central Government supreme power over cinema exhibition in the country potentially endangering freedom of expression and democratic dissent. Read More
MC Kode aka Aditya Tiwari, a New Delhi based rapper has been missing since June 2nd, 2021, after receiving death threats for an old battle rap clip that went viral. His Instagram post hinting at suicide was disturbing and alarming but right-wing trolls continued to bay for his blood and poke fun at him. In […] Read More
Justice Rohit Arya of the Indore bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court has rejected the bail plea of stand up comedian Munawar Faruqui and said that the ‘possibility of collection of more incriminating material andcomplacency of other persons cannot also be ruled out.’ Munawar Faruqui and five of his colleagues and friends have been […] Read More
Twenty-five days after he was arrested on the charge that he could crack a joke that someone would find objectionable, comedian Munawar Faruqui and five of his friends and colleagues await a decision from the Madhya Pradesh High Court on a bail application. The entire case against the six may seem like some absurd theatrical […] Read More
Justice Madan Lokur, former justice of the Supreme Court of India, delivered the Verghese Memorial Lecture 2020 on “Preserving and Protecting our Fundamental Rights – Freedom of Speech, Expression and the Right to Protest.” Justice Lokur said that one of the worst forms of curtailment of the freedom of speech is charging a person with […] Read More
In 1990 through the efforts of filmmakers like Mani Kaul and Director of Films Division, Shri Vijay Chandra, the Bombay International Film Festival was launched. One of its main talking points was that it did away with the requirement of censor certificates. BIFF which later became MIFF was seen as a celebration of the art […] Read More
Dhruv Rathee, a YouTube creator who makes Hindi-language videos analysing controversial political issues, tweeted today (March 18) that Facebook banned him from posting for 30 days. The first phase of India’s election falls on April 11. Twelve hours after he first posted about the ban, Rathee tweeted that Facebook had restored his account and removed […] Read More
Showing all 12 results