Mumbai, Feb 18 (IANS) After the Supreme Court pulled up Ranveer Allahabadia, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis on Tuesday warned that obscenity cannot be tolerated as freedom of speech.
He hailed the apex court’s scathing observations saying that everyone has the right to free speech but if it encroaches on someone’s freedom they are bound to face the action.
“Everyone has the right to free speech but if it encroaches on someone’s freedom they are bound to face the action. Obscenity cannot be tolerated as freedom of speech,” said the chief minister.
He further said, “Earlier, it was easy to identify the culprit. But, social media platforms have diminished the geographical jurisdiction of the crime. Hence, we are in talks with the Central government to draft new laws defining the geographical jurisdiction of social media.”
The Supreme Court on Tuesday snubbed YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia over his comment about parents and sex during a stand-up show, but he was told that he would not be arrested by Maharashtra or Assam Police as long as he cooperates with the probe or on the basis of a third complaint filed in Jaipur. However, the apex court has asked Allahbadia to deposit his passport with Thane Police and warned him not to try and leave the country without the court's nod.
Meanwhile, at a time Vicky Kaushal starrer Chhaava is hogging the headlines for the response it got at the Box Office, the Maharashtra government has taken serious note of objectionable content on Wikipedia on Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, the second ruler of the Maratha Empire in 1681.
Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, after the weekly cabinet meeting, told reporters, “We condemn the controversial things written on Wikipedia about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. The state government has ordered IG Cyber to talk to Wikipedia and remove controversial things and send the correct information. Strict action will be taken against those found guilty.”
NCP-SP Amol Kolhe, who has often played the role of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj in various works, expressed displeasure saying that these things are happening continuously. “This is very unfortunate because there is a repeated attempt to defame the character in one way or another. There is a big conspiracy behind erasing the identity of Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj, a lot has been written over the years, wrong texts have been added and now this is the reflection of the same, that this is the information that appears on Wikipedia,” he said.
He expressed regret that after writing objectionable texts then highlighting the sacrifices are continuing and the same is being seen again unfortunately. He also demanded that the government should issue instructions in this regard as soon as possible and respect the sentiments of the people.
