Shreya Singhal hails SC verdict on section 66A

New Delhi, March 24 (IANS) Petitioner Shreya Singhal, who questioned constitutionality of the Information Technology Act's Section 66A on basis of its "vague wording", hailed the Supreme Court verdict on Tuesday striking it down, as protection against "blatant misuse" of the cyber law.

"I am absolutely ecstatic as the Supreme Court upheld the fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression.

"It is only in case of a dissenting voice or a differing opinion that one can avail his right to freedom of speech. And this verdict protects that right," Singhal told IANS.

Singhal, who is related to former union minister Kapil Sibal, the architect of the controversial cyber law, said the issue was "not political".

"It's not a political issue for me. I am related to Sibal but that connection has nothing to do with what I did," said the 24-year-old second-year law student at Delhi University who had moved the apex court in 2012 following the arrest of two girls - Shaheen Dhada and Rinu Shrinivasan - for posting comments critical of Mumbai shutdown called to pay homage to Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray who died in November 2012.

"I was so much shocked at the blatant misuse of a section worded so vaguely. It was open to misuse from the very beginning," she said.

"Social media is a platform that allows the quintessential Indian to post thoughts and diverse opinion online. How can you curb a tool like that?" she asked.

Describing social media as an "agent of change", Singhal said: "It's one thing to restrict (expression) and another thing to gag it."

Despite opposition from social media enthusiasts, the Congress-led United Progressive Alliance government introduced the provision in 2008.

Notwithstanding the displeasure among netizens, the Bharatiya Janata Party-led National Democratic Alliance retained it after coming to power in May 2014.

"Governments, guided by their political agenda, will come and go whereas laws are here to stay. But we can't have unconstitutional law stay for long as it affected the life of a common man," said Singhal who hails from a family of lawyers and politicians.

Her mother Manali is a Supreme Court lawyer while her great-grandfather H.R. Gokhale was the law and justice minister in then prime minister Indira Gandhi's cabinet in the 1970s.