Recent incidents of bans

A K Ramanujans essay Three Hundred Ramayanas was dropped from the

DU syllabus
Rohinton Mistrys Such a long journey was dropped from the Mumbai
University syllabus
Movies like Aarakshan, Bandit Queen, Water etc have been banned by
some state governments
India was the first country to ban Rushdies The Satanic Verses

Why protect freedom of Speech?

Self government argument: For a robust democratic process. It is essential

for people to communicate on political matters, which in turn enables
them to fully participate in democratic affairs
Laissez faire argument: in a marketplace of ideas, the better ideas
eventually prevail through competition. It is essential in a societys search
for truth, which will ultimately emerge after a competition of all ideas in
the marketplace
Freedom of speech as promotion of every individuals self-fulfillment and
autonomy. This rationale posits that protection of free speech is essential
for human identity. To be fully human, it is essential to protect thoughts.
Indias constitutional tradition strongly supports freedom of speech.