I was just reading an article that made me realize just how lucky we are to live in a country where we can have an open debate regarding the content of books and other materials.
The Indian Supreme Court has just ruled that the government does have the authority to ban publications that endangers public order. The court stated “forfeiture of a newspaper, book or a document is a serious encroachment on the right of a citizen, but if the forfeiture is called for in the public interest, it must without a doubt have pre-eminence over any individual interest.”
I think this is an example of how "the road to hell is paved with good intentions." The Indian government seems to be trying to protect their people for materials that may insight violence but one has to ask oneself where it will end. It seems that "endangering the public order" could be stretched to include many varying definitions and could possible extend far beyond the notion of insighting violence. The implications of a decision like this one have the potential to be very far-reaching.
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