In a letter to Mr. Chavan on Monday, Mr. Katju, a former Supreme Court judge, said he was forwarding an e-mail he had received stating that a woman was arrested in Maharashtra for protesting on Facebook against the shutdown in Mumbai. She was arrested for allegedly hurting religious sentiments, the letter said. Mr. Katju was going by the email, based on Sunday’s news reports that reported the arrest. On Monday, the police said two young women were arrested for their comments on the bandh.

“To my mind it is absurd to say that protesting against a bandh hurts religious sentiments. Under Article 19(1) (a) of our Constitution, freedom of speech is a guaranteed fundamental right. We are living in a democracy, not a fascist dictatorship. In fact this arrest itself appears to be a criminal act, Continue reading →