'Victims' rejoice after SC scraps Section 66A of IT Act

The Supreme Court's decision to scrap the Section 66A of the IT Act was welcomed by the people who had to face the brunt of the controversial legislature on Tuesday.

Renu Srinivasan, who was arrested from Thane for liking a comment following the demise of Shiv Sena supreme Bal Thackeray, expressed happiness over apex court's verdict and said that no one will have to be afraid of saying right things from now on.

Renu's friend Shaheen Dhada had taken to Facebook to question the Bandh in Mumbai following Thackeray's death.

"I am very happy today, I feel that justice has been granted to me after two years. The post for which we were arrested was not abusive or wrong, it was misunderstood. My family was always supportive of me and they never scolded me for this. Now no one has to be afraid of saying right things," she said.

Meanwhile, Jadavpur University professor Ambikesh Mahapatra, who was arrested for circulating a cartoon mocking West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, said that the verdict will protect freedom of speech, democratic rights and human rights of the common man.

"By this verdict, the freedom of speech of the people, democratic right of the people and the human rights of the people will be protected," Mahapatra said.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court struck down the IT Act Section 66A, terming it 'unconstitutional'.

According to reports, the apex court ruled that the section falls outside Article 19(2), which relates to Freedom of Speech, and thus has to be struck down in its entirety.