India, March 4 -- The Supreme Court on Monday delivered a sharp rebuke to the Gujarat police, emphasizing that law enforcement must understand and value the cherished right to free speech and expression, particularly 75 years into India's independence.

A bench of justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan criticised the police for registering a first information report (FIR) against Congress Rajya Sabha parliamentarian Imran Pratapgarhi for posting a poem on social media, as it underlined the importance of artistic freedom and sensitivity in matters of creative expression.

"Seventy-five years into our independence, the freedom of speech and expression has to be understood by the police now," asserted the bench, highlighting the constitutiona...