Report No. 200

Chapter VII

Freedom of expression, Contempt of Court, Due Process to Protect Liberty

The Chapter deals with the second reason given by the Joint Committee of Parliament for rejecting the word 'imminent' as used in the Bill by the Sanyal Committee. The Joint Committee felt that the word 'imminent' was vague and would unduly restrict freedom of expression. We have already stated that now, after A.K. Gopalan's case, the word 'imminent' is not vague. It remains to consider whether freedom of expression is unduly restricted if the date of 'arrest' is treated as starting point.