One held for posting obscene Orkut message on Sonia
May 18, 2008, The Times of India
This news story is about an IT professional who was arrested on charges of posting derogatory comments on Sonia Gandhi, the chief of the Congress party, on a community named 'I hate Soniya Gandhi' on Orkut, the popular social networking site. The police traced the person through the IP address as well as the user information provided in the e-mail by which the comment was posted. The interesting part, however, is that the owner of the community has not been charged. The explanation given by the police is that while hating Sonia Gandhi is merely an opinion, which anyone is entitled to have, commenting in an obscene manner is an offence. The story presents a curious case of how the legal system responds to and decide on issues of free expression.