Book bans and freedom of speech

Author Salil Tripathi’s essay in our special series commemorating 75 years of the Supreme Court of India talks about how the courts have approached book bans. Ostensibly, these bans are in favour of public interest, but more often, they serve the interests of powerful groups—political parties, ruling governments, multinational corporations. Salil writes that when cases make it to the Supreme Court, it has often upheld the author's freedom of expression. However, the real theatre of the book ban in India is often the bureaucratic office, the city street and the village square. Read Salil's article now on SCObserver.in! Have you read the previous stories we’ve put out as part of our SC@75 series? You’ll find in the set a compelling mix of history, pop culture and legal analysis.