FREEDOM OF EXPRESSION LEH TUNLAI BORUAK

Tunhnaiah India ram hmun hrang hrangah mimal zalenna rahbehna a nasat thu media kaltlangin kan hmu ṭhin a. Sawrkara thuneitute mai bakah mahni a thuneihna inpe chawp (vigilante group) hrang hrangten dan piah lamah thu nei ta ber emaw intiin mi tam tak tan harsatna an siam nasa hle a ni. Heng mahni thuneihna inpe chawpho hi han chhui chian chuan rorel lai party nena inkungkaihna nei emaw, engamawti zawng tala in hnim hnai deuh an lo ni duh tlangpui. 

Chu’ng entirna tur atana tunhnaia thiltithei ta riau nia inngai, ram danpui pawh pawisa lem lo pawl ṭhenkhat langsar zualte chu- Hindu Mahasabha, Bajrang Dal, RSS, ABVP etc. te an ni. Vanduaithlak takin hetiangho chet lak dan ziarang hi tunhnaiah tualchhungah a thleng hlauh mai a. March ni 6, Zirtawpni khan Chapchar Kut lawmna peng pakhat, Vana Pa Hall-a Art Exhibition a phochuah, Pu Zoramthanga lem chu MNF Ṭhalaiten la thla in an dah bo a. He thil thleng chungchang hi chanchinthar lamah kan hmu zui nghal a, social media lamah pawh sawi zui a hlawh hle. 

He milem ziaktu Lalthlanchhuaha chu he thil thleng chungchangah hian a lungawi lo hle a, a lemziak chu a phalna tel loin MNF Ṭhalaite chuan an lak bosak niin a sawi. MNF Ṭhalai lam chuan Chief Minister, Pu Zoramthanga lem ziah a nih dan chu an party President ‘zahawmna tibawrhbang thei’ a nih avanga la bo an nih thu an sawi ve thung. Engtiang takin nge MNF President zahawmna chu a tihbawrhban theih tih erawh zawhna a tam thei awm e. 

Kha lemziak MNYF ten an rukboah khan Pu Zoramthanga kha hlim taka a nui lai hmel kan hmu thei a; a hnung lamah RSS/ BJP rawng deuh saffron colour a lang bawk a… a lem hualtu rin bial kha lotus pangpar mawi tak niin a hriat bawk. MNYF lamin an hotupa zahawmna tibawrhbang thei ber tur nia an ngaih chu saffron colour leh lotus pangpar lem te kha a nih hmel. Chutih rual chuan MNF party hi BJP kaihhruai NDA/ NEDA a tel ve a nih avangin he lemziak hi thu dik lo leh belhchian dawl lo han tih ngawt tur a ni si lo. 

Hetiang deuh hian India chhulchhuak artist ropui MF Hussain te, Tamil writer lar Perumal te kha Hindu firfiak hovin an lo bei tawh ṭhin a. A thuziah avanga chawimawina sang Booker Prize hial lo dawng tawhtu Salman Rushdie ngei pawh a nunna lak tumin Muslim firfiakho chuan nasa takin an lo bei tawh ṭhin bawk. Kum 2017 vel kha a ni ta awm e, Mamit lam Sumo service pakhat, a motor hnung lama “Kawng chhe luttuk hi ka chau, Lalpa eiruk theihna lakah min veng ang che” tih thuziak tawite chu ngaimawhin District Transport Officer (DTO) kaltlangin sawrkarin thu leh awm hma chu service tawh rih lo tura thupe in motor document pawh an laksak thu chanchinthar hrang hrangah kan hmu. Khatiang taka thuneitu lamin hma an lak chhan awm tur kha hriatthiam a har viau hle. 

A thu inziak lah thu dik tak, a hunlai a ‘kawng chhiat thu’ leh kan ram hmelma lian eirukna lak aṭanga a fihlim theihna tur atana a Pathian a auhna angah lo ngai ta ila. Khatih laia Congress sawrkar tan khan a eng lai ber nge huat tur leh dan kalha che a nihna hi mipui nawlpui tan chuan hriatthiam a har riau mai. Direct taka sawkar a beihna hmuh tur awm bawk si lo (lo bei pawh nise thu dik behchhan a nih chuan dan bawhchhiatna a nih a rinawm lo). 

Heng thil chungchang hi India danpui hnuaia mimal dikna chanvo ‘freedom of expression’ aṭangin thlir zui dawn teh ang. India Danpui Article 19(1) chuan India khua leh tui zawng zawngte chu an ngaihdan leh an duh zawng te sawi chhuah bakah lanchhuahtir (express) turin zalenna chanvo min pe ṭheuh a. Art 19 (2) ah chuan he zalenna chintawk siam turin khuahkhirhna (reasonable restriction) a siam a. Chungte chu:- “Ram himna lam te (Security of the State), Ram dang nen inṭhianṭhatna kawnga inlaichinna lam (friendly relations with foreign States), dan leh thupek khawih (public order), thil dukdaklo lam leh ngaihtuahna hruai khawlo thei (decency and morality), court tihbawrhbanna (contempt of court) mi zahawmna tihbawrhbanna (defamation), ban bawhchhe tura mi chochhuahna (incitement to an offence), leh ram inpumkhatna leh thuneihna pumhlum nghawng che (sovereignty and integrity of India)” te an ni. Heng kan tarlan takteah hian a huam chin mumal taka ching feltu chu court a ni. Court thutlukna siam tawh te aṭangin kan thu chai lai hi kan ngaihtuah zui dawn a ni. 

Hetiang kaihhnawih thilah hian court case tam tak pawh a awm reng a; chung zinga pawimawh tak, tun thlenga Judge te leh dan lam mithiamten free speech chungchang inhnialna a awm changa an la behchhan ber judgement pawimawh tak pakhat chu kum 1962 a Supreme Court-in Kedarnath Judgment a tih chhuah kha a ni. He judgement pawimawh tak hi a hnu zela sawrkar thiltih dik loh nia an hriat an hailan leh an sawiselna kawnga mimal leh a huhova hma la ṭhinten, sawrkarin thiam loh chantir tuma a beih pawha an ṭanchhan leh court thutlukna siamtute pawhin an behchhan (reference) langsar ber pakhat a ni. 

Kedarnath Judgement chuan sawrkar sawiselna satliah hi midangte tharum thawh tura va fuihna emaw, dan leh thupek kenkawh kawnga harsatna siam tumnate a awm a nih si loh chuan dan mitah thil sual (criminal offence) a tling lo tiin chiang takin thutlukna a siam. (Kedarnath Das v. State of Bihar, AIR 1962 SC 955). 

Kum 2011 India Against Corruption Movement (IAC) vanglai pawh khan Cartoonist pakhat Aseem Trivedi chuan Anna Hazare kaihhruaina a movement inmung mek support nan ‘Cartoon Against Corruption’ a launch a; website te neiin a websitewww.cartoonsagainstcorruption.com ah khan sawrkar corrupt system leh politician te sawiselna rorum tak tak a tarlang ṭhin a. Chung zinga cartoon pakhatah phei chuan Trivedi chuan India National emblem a sakeibaknei pali awmte chu chinghnia thisena tuihal (politician) ah a thlak a, a thu inziak Satyamev Jayate (Thu dik chauh dingchang rawh se) tih chu Bhrashtamev Jayate (Corruption chu lo lal ber zel rawh se) tiin a thlak bawk a. He cartoon avang hian Trivedi hian ram leh hnam tana pawi sawi case (sedition) mai ni lovin, national emblem tibawrhbang leh IT Act a bawhchhia tiin man a ni a, jail-ah pawh chawlhkar hnih vel September thla 2012 khan dah a ni. 

He issue a Trivedi man a nih dan hi legal experts tam takin an question a. Supreme Court Judge hlui leh chutih hunlaia Press Council of India Chairman, Justice Katju chuan Trivedi hian engmah dan bawhchhiatna a nei lova, amah dik lo taka man a, jail a dahtute hian thilsual an ti zawk a ni tiin IPC a wrongful arrest and confinement behchhanin cartoonist thlavang hi a hauh a. Bombay High Court chuan March 18, 2015 khan he case chungchangah hian a judgement siamin; he cartoonist hian tharumthawhna a che turin tumah a fuihpawrh lo a, government/ state machinery laka a thinrimna leh lungawilohna a tilang satliah mai a ni. Tute pawhin state machinery hi na tak tak pawhin an sawisel thei a, tharum thawh tura midang fuihna thu an sawi a nih loh chuan criminal offence/ sedition a ni thei lo” tiin verdict a siam ta a ni (Sanskar Marathe vs State of Maharashtra & Ors. [2015 CriLJ 3561]) 

Nikum, 2019 mai khan Bengali film pakhat, ‘Bho­bishyotu Bhut’ chhuah phal leh phal loh chungchangah India rama court sang ber Supreme Court chuan free speech kaihhnawih thutlukna chhinchiahtlak tak mai a siam a. Supreme Court chuan he case-ah hian Artist-in a ngaihtuahna te a puanchhuahna kawngah faksel turin zalenna pumhlum a neih thu a tarlang a ni. 

He Judgement hmingthang takah hian Justice Chandra­chud chuan artist te hna leh zalenna kaihhnawiha mi challang tak takte thukhawchang ropui tak tak a tarlang a. Finthuril lama pa challang tak, Voltaire thukhawchang, “I thusawi chu ka ṭawmpui lo che a ni thei a, sawi thei tura i zalenna chu ka thih thlengin ka humhim ang” a tih thu te; Chinua Achebe thusawi, “Art hi vantlang tan a hnathawktu a ni a, mipui ta a ni. Mipuite mamawhna phuhru tura mipui nen inzawm a ni a, nghahchhan nei lo a tar mai mai a ni lo” tih te bakah Albert Camus essay hmingthang ‘Resistance, Rebellion and Death’a mi, Art hian inpumkhatna a thlen a, thuneihna hmangkhawlotu chuan inṭhendarhna a thlen ṭhin thu te, art chu mipuite rahbeh tuma thuneihna lekkawhtute hmelma a nih thu leh chutiang mite tan art chu hmelma a nih thu a sawi te chu a tarlang bawk. 

Supreme Court vek hian case pakhat, ‘An Insignificant Man,’ Kejriwal a chanchin tarlanna film chhuah chung­chang a ngaihtuahnaah chuan “Court te chu drama emaw, lehkhabu emaw ngaihtuahna puanchhuahna lam thil film-ah te maw lemchan chantuala chan chi-ah te mi thiamna thil khap bet zawnga chetlakna tur chi-ah chuan uchuak takin a muangchang tur a ni” tiin a lo rel a ni. Sanjay Leela Bhansali film siam, ‘Padmavati’ chungchang a relnaah Supreme Court hian “freedom of expression chu thil hlu leh chin dan phung nghet taka vawn (sacrosanct) a ni a, he thilah hian inrawlh zen zen tur a ni lo” tiin a lo rel bawk a ni. He thil chungchangah hian Supreme Court chuan lemchan chu thil thianghlim hlak tarlanna anga beisei loh tur a nih thu te, thlirtute ngaihtuahna chawk tho thei thil tarlan theih a nih thu te a sawi mai bakah India danpui Art 19(2) a ‘freedom of expression’ hrekna tarlan te chu artist te themthiamna (artistic creativity) tihhlumna atan hman theih a ni lo tiin a rel a ni. 

A chunga Court rorelna hrang hrang aṭang khian ‘freedom of expression’ hian a huam a zau hle a, a hrekna tarlan te khi a nazawnga hman theih a nih loh bakah Supreme Court hian ‘freedom of expression’ hi a ngai pawimawhin case awm tawhah te pawh hian ‘freedom of expression’ tundin lam hi a awn nasa hle a, a hrekna lam hi a awn lo hle tih kan hmu chiang hle awm e. 

Lemziak kan sawi tak chungchangah pawh hian han huatthlala nia an sawi lai ber awm ngaihtuah zui pawh hian thil dik lo emaw, belhchiandawl lo lam thil a awm loh avangin mimal inpuh hmingchhiatna (defamation) lamin a huam theih loh avangin mahni kutzala thuneihna leka khatianga lemziak lak bo mai kha thil tih nawn loh chi niin a lang. Khatiang thilah lungawi lo an awm a nih chuan mahni kutzala thuneihna lek mai lovin thuneitu hnenah dan anga hmalak tur chi a ni ang. 

Tin, sawrkar leh thuneitu ṭhenkhatten mimal dikna chanvo (fundamental rights) an bawhchhiat fona tur laka mipuite veng leh chhanhim tura Constitution-in invenhimna court kal tlanga min pek hi hetiang phuahchawp thuneihna in pe chawp a, dan pawisa lo ho chetna avang hian a derthawng thei tih hria in Mizo miputen an thiltih hi hnawlin dem ngam ang u. Kan society hmasawn zelna tur atan pawh a pawimawh hle.