India, Sept. 23 -- The Supreme Court's recent observation that defamation should be decriminalised is timely, but achieving this will need a concrete display of intent from the judiciary and the political class. The outdated provisions of the criminal defamation statute were first instituted by the British in 1860 to protect the interests of the colonial government and thwart any push towards unfettered public debate. Public order and security were used as blanket justifications to throttle the freedom movement, deny Indians the legitimate right to express dissent and protest colonial policies, and maintain an undemocratic hegemony of a few over a subjugated nation. Unfortunately, not only did independent India keep this anachronistic off...