Flagrant violations by the state of the right to free speech and expression in India tend to be met with silence or half-hearted protests. However, in 2016, the Supreme Court sent a clear message that any irresponsible exercise of the state’s power to restrict protestors’ right to free speech and expression willattract legal consequences and not just censure. This decision is likely to be a landmark in constitutional actions against the state in the context of the right to protest and corresponding limits on state action.
