As soon as the Supreme Court quashed Section 66(A) of the Information Technology Act on Tuesday, there was a tizzy on micro-blogging site Twitter with renowned Bollywood filmmakers like Madhur Bhandarkar and Sanjay Gupta welcoming the verdict and saying it would further the freedom of expression.
The court held that Section 66(A) violated Article 19(1)(a) of the constitution that guaranteed freedom of speech and expression.
Mr Bhandarkar, who has helmed films like Fashion, Page 3 and Corporate on societal issues, said that the verdict stands true to the principles of a democratic nation.
Mr Bhandarkar tweeted:
Landmark judgement by Hon Supreme Court as it strikes down Sec 66A of IT Act. Freedom of thought & expression rightly upheld in a democracy.
- Madhur Bhandarkar (@imbhandarkar) March 24, 2015Shootout at Wadala filmmaker Sanjay Gupta posted:
Sec66A S C R A P P E D. Now this is good news.
- Sanjay Gupta (@_SanjayGupta) March 24, 2015NO CENSORSHIP on the Internet. NO CENSORSHIP on Satellite Channels. NO CENSORSHIP on Newspapers & Magazines. WHY CENSORSHIP in Films then?
- Sanjay Gupta (@_SanjayGupta) March 24, 2015Others to welcome the judgement included filmmaker Pritish Nandy. He wrote:
Section 66A of the IT Act, the noxious, draconian law has been struck down by the Supreme Court. Restores our faith in democracy.
- Pritish Nandy (@PritishNandy) March 24, 2015And celebrated writer Chetan Bhagat, who raised the bar by churning out bestsellers like Five Point Someone, The 3 Mistakes of My Life, and 2 States. Most of Mr Bhagat's novels have been adapted into successful movies.
Mr Bhagat posted:
everyone happy #sec66a is gone. who put it there in the first place?
- Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) March 24, 2015Glad to know that I live in a free country. No #Sec66A as SC strikes it down. Super happy. Go on, troll away.
- Chetan Bhagat (@chetan_bhagat) March 24, 2015