From Competitive Intolerance to a Culture of Tolerance

Two years when the movie The Da Vinci Code was banned by few states in India, the High Courts of those states came out strongly in support of freedom of expression. This week the Delhi High Court quashed criminal proceedings against noted painter M.F. Hussain and asked people to be tolerant about varied beliefs and interests. Rohit writes

Banning books, movies or paintings under the garb of protecting cultural norms or to avoid giving offense to a section of the population is antithetical to the values of a modern, liberal democracy. Let India move from competitive intolerance to a culture of tolerance. As a first step, the Supreme Court should follow Justice Kaul’s direction and quash all criminal proceedings against Hussain. That one of India’s best known painters has to spend the last few years of his life in exile is a national shame.