Free speech—India’s biggest test

Hiccups in its democratic structure often result from a tendency to undermine freedom of expression.

The truest test of an evolved, flourishing and mature democracy is not its electoral culture, or the right of every citizen to vote, or a diverse political system, but where it stands on the scale of freedom of expression. On a scale ranging from absolute to highly restrictive, freedom of expression in a democracy should unequivocally remain towards the former.