Censorship
Topic: Political Theory: Freedom and Rights · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 2 "Freedom"
Meaning
Censorship means stopping people from reading, seeing or hearing books, films, plays or speech. It can be done by the state or by a social authority. It may be complete (a ban) or partial (cuts). NCERT warns that a ban is a quick fix. It satisfies an angry group for now, but it builds a habit of banning that hurts freedom. In India, the CBFC certifies films under the Cinematograph Act 1952.
Example
Deepa Mehta's film Water was stopped from shooting in Varanasi in 2000 and was later shot in Sri Lanka. India banned the import of Rushdie's The Satanic Verses in 1988. In S. Rangarajan (1989), the Supreme Court held that threats of protest cannot justify stopping a film unless the danger is like "a spark in a powder keg".
Don't confuse with
- Reasonable restrictions: these are limits under Art. 19(2) that must be based on listed grounds and be proportionate. Censorship is the act of suppressing; it is lawful only if it fits within those limits.