INTRODUCTION: Liberty of thought of expression is the greatest right of a man living in a civilized society. The society or the nation which does not grant this right cannot claim to be civilized. Every man should have the right to think for himself and to express freely what he thinks. That is the only way to ensure human advancement.
RIGHT TO FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION: India emerged as a free united and democratic nation on August 15, 1947 and she adopted her new constitution in 1950 claiming to be a republic. As it is in our Democracy, our National Government granted freedom to the press on principle. But the question arises-“Can the press be completely free?”. The answer cannot be in the affirmative even from the lips of the greatest democrat. Liberty of thought may be complete but liberty of expressing that thought cannot be complete; it is subject to some necessary limitations. There will be complete confusion and chaos in the country or in the world if everybody is allowed to express or to publish freely and frankly what he or she thinks. Freedom of any kind without certain restrictions and limitations, take the shape of vulgarity and pollutes the moral atmosphere of the society because this freedom when granted in excess, gives every chance to human being to indulge in vituperations and mudslinging.
DEMOCRACY AND THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS: The freedom of the press is an asset to a democracy and the greatest cause of worry to the ruling party in a democracy. This fundamental right has often been denied to the press. During the civil war in England in the 17th century, the various parliamentarians intended to bring the press under some restrictions. John Milton raised his voice against this censorship and expressed his vehement protest in his monumental book, “Aeropygatica”. The English epic poet strongly advocated the cause of unlicensed printing. He asserted “Give me the liberty to know, to think, to believe and to utter freely, according to conscience, above all other liberties.”
In India, the press has to fight vigorously to have this right. The story of this long fight dates back to 1780 when Warren Hastings had banned the first Indian paper ‘Hickey’s Bengal Gazette’. The government censorship of papers continued to be powerful till 1835 when Lord Metcalfe made the Indian press free and paved the way for founding of some of the great Indian papers like “The Times of India”, “The Pioneer”, “The Madras Mail”, “The Hindu” and “The Statesman”. The interference by the state persisted. At the time of the partition of Bengal, and during the long movement of Indian independence, the British government behaved with the press severely and gagged it. The worst form of the regimentation of the press was seen in Germany of Hitler and in Italy of Mussolini. In Russia, the press is not free, though Pravda, the Russian paper, is said to have the largest curriculum in the world.
RESPONSIBILITY OF THE PRESS: The freedom of the press is the greatest sign of a highly cultured and civilized society or a nation. But this sacred privilege needs great tact and patience to use it properly. Man suffers from psychological weakness. He is a victim of passing prejudices. Newspapers play in the hands of persons who have their own likes and dislikes. Thus, the newspapers cannot be looked upon as the true mirrors of public opinion. They are generally the mouth-piece of political groups and parties. This favour of parties and groups is dangerous to the progress of human society. When the press is to favour a particular party or group, truth is coloured or distorted. Sometimes unhealthy rivalries and offensive controversies spring up among newspapers on account of their attachment to certain political groups. The result is that the entire atmosphere of a country is polluted and poisoned. It happens only when the press is exploited or employed as a means of propaganda, and not as a means of expressing public opinion. In the country, there are papers which advocate the cause of different political parties. The National Herald is a handmaid of the congress, the Pioneer echoes the sentiments of the ex-Taluqdars while the Organizer is the mouth-piece of the Hindu Mahasabha and the R.S.S.
THE PRESS DURING ABNORMAL TIMES: During abnormal times, such as a war or political crisis, the freedom of the press is curtailed. By means of ordinances and restrictions, the Indian press was gagged during the Second World War. On various occasions during the course of the national movement, the British government had to impose restrictions on the Indian press. The freedom of the press cannot be enjoyed at the cost of foreign defence and internal safety. During the wars against China and Pakistan, the Indian government had to keep an eye on the Indian press.
NATIONAL EMERGENCY AND THE FREEDOM OF PRESS: The freedom of press was wholly taken away by the imposition on National Emergency in June, 1976. It was for the first time that heavy censorship were sacked and imprisoned. There was vehement criticism by the things again changed after the downfall of the Congress Government at the Centre. The new Janata Government not only again restored the freedom of the press but also promised that it shall never be snatched.
CONCLUSION: Freedom of expression cannot be unbridled. Certain unavoidable limitations such as regard for one’s personal reputation and religious sentiments have to be imposed vigorously. Freedom of expression or criticism cannot be permitted to degenerate into freedom of abuse. Whenever the press is likely to abuse its power, the government is called upon to limitation. Liberty cannot be considered a license to indulge blasphemy.