Gupta says India’s existing laws aren’t geared towards checking the misuse of free speech, as demonstrated in Iyer-Mitra’s case. Rather than limiting the misuse of the right to free speech and expression, our laws, in their existing form, end up limiting free speech. “They are out of step with modern, democratic India, more so in times of social media,” Gupta says. “They [these laws] were framed by a British imperial power which was more interested in preventing people from talking about their rights, subjugation and preventing the freedom struggle.” And since these laws have not been tinkered with much, they continue having the same effect. “The legislature as an institution has not seriously engaged to reform criminal laws and offences which impact free expression. It is often acted as an institution to further restriction on free expression.”