Indian Women's Press Corps hails SC decision on editor of Shilong Times, congratulates the editor

Patricia's win is a fair journalists' victory

The victory of veteran journalist Patricia Mukhim, is the victory of all fair journalists who are fighting for the causes.

Supreme Court today qualified that expressing disapproval of a government’s action ”cannot be branded as an attempt to promote hatred between different communities, ", It comes as great relief for journalists exercising free speech for the right causes.

The Indian Women's Press Corps (IWPC) hails the decision of the Supreme Court to quash the FIR filed against veteran journalist Patricia Mukhim, editor of Shillong Times, for allegedly creating communal disharmony and indulging in hate speech through her social media post.

The SC while quashing the FIR by the traditional Khasi village governing body in Lawsohtun said, “free speech of the citizens of this country cannot be stifled by implicating them in criminal cases”.

The IWPC congratulates Patricia Mukhim for fearlessly standing her ground and moving up the legal battle from the Meghalaya High Court to the Supreme Court.

For the news media fraternity nothing could be more timely than the Supreme Court qualifying that expressing disapproval of a government’s action ”cannot be branded as an attempt to promote hatred between different communities."

Moreover, the SC asserted, “voicing of discontent is really a cry for anguish, for justice denied or delayed."

The Supreme Court’s observation underscores the right and duty of journalists and citizens to use any forum to highlight wrongs and injustice they come across even if amounts to criticism of any government.

Ms Mukhim, in her post, had demanded the arrest of allegedly masked tribal boys who had attacked non-tribal youth playing basketball at Lawsohtun. Her plea to quash the FIR filed against her by the village governing body was dismissed by the Meghalaya High Court. She took her appeal to the Supreme Court which disagreed with the High Court and threw out the FIR.