State is using an iron hand to curb free speech. Suddenly you have a lot of cases charging people with sedition. Common citizen who say something are charged with sedition. Already 70 cases of sedition this year : Justice Madan B Lokur, retired SC judge.

The judge is addressing a virtual discussion "Freedom of speech and judiciary" in the context of Prashant Bhushan depositing fine of Re 1 in the contempt case.
@pbhushan1

State is using sedition as an iron hand to curb free speech : J M B Lokur.

Another method by which State curbs free speech is to crackdown on critical opinions by charging them as spreading fake news, Justice Lokur says. He cites examples of journalists reporting about COVID cases, lack of ventilators etc being charged with fake news provisions.

Another method is the misreading of the statements to attribute motives. This happened in the case of Prashant Bhushan, Justice M B Lokur says. "I believe he had no intention to break the judiciary. But his statements were misread", Lokur says.

Justice Lokur cites the example of Kafeel Khan's case.

His speech was misread to charge him with NSA. The Court said his speech was promoting national integration and unity, Justice Lokur points out.

Students, activists etc are put under jails by misreading their dissenting voices to invoke UAPA against them : J Lokur.

Justice Lokur also express concerns about preventive detention being used rampantly.

On the other hand, you have people who talk about violence, about breaking up things - nothing happens to them - Justice Lokur says.

Justice Lokur says over 3 crore cases are pending. Judiciary has to prioritize its concerns. There is a need to increase transparency within the judiciary, J Lokur opines.

As regards the case of Prashant Bhushan, Justice Lokur says that he was expressing his opinion about the judiciary.
@pbhushan1

The punishment in the Prashant Bhushan case is "incongruous". There is no "real substantiation" for the court's findings : N Ram @nramind

I have great respect for judiciary. It is the judiciary which read freedom of press into the Constitution : Ram @nramind

N Ram says they withdrew the challenge against contempt law after Sr Adv Rajeev Dhavan explained and that they did not want the case to get entangled with the Prashant Bhushan case : Ram @nramind

Justice Arun Mishra gives the impression of someone claiming "sky-high powers" : Ram @nramind

N Ram mentions about several articles written to critically examine the tenure of Justice Arun Mishra.
The contempt case against Bhushan had a "stimulating effect" to "robust criticism" of the judiciary. The case had a paradoxical effect : Ram @nramind

There will be more and more scrutiny of the judiciary in the coming days. Harsher things are said in print and media than the tweets of Prashant Bhushan : Ram @nramind

Ram says that the Allahabad HC judgment in the Kafeel Khan @DrKafeel_Khan case is a "good blow for free speech".
"But on the other hand, who will make amends for what he had to suffer", he asks. @nramind

N Ram refers to the recent move by a Madras HC judge to initiate contempt proceedings against actor Suriya @Suriya_offl for his remarks on courts allowing NEET.

N Ram reads the comments of Suriya. Says, with a laugh, that perhaps Suriya said this inspired by Prashant Bhushan.
@nramind
@Suriya_offl
@pbhushan1

'Paradoxically, this (Bhushan case), has led to an awakening, and the judiciary might also think that it has gone too far' : N Ram @nramind

Ram says he is optimistic that everything is not lost as he sees a "stimulating effect" for criticism and "an awakening among people about rights" following the contempt case against Prashant Bhushan. Instead of a chilling effect, it has empowered criticism. @pbhushan1
@nramind

The empowerment which people got because of Prashant Bhushan's positions is enormous : Aruna Roy.