https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=196059 Obscenity under Section 292 IPC was assessed by applying contemporary community standards to the work as a whole from the standpoint of the average person, while recognising that freedom of speech is subject to decency and morality restrictions. The Court noted that when a historically respected figure is used as the symbolic voice in a poem, the obscenity inquiry may become more intense because context affects the words' impact. On the material considered, the poem's use of Mahatma Gandhi was capable of attracting a prima facie charge, leaving the author's defence for trial. The charge was sustained against the author, but was quashed against the publisher, who apologised promptly, and the printer, who acted only on instructions. en-us Thu, 14 May 2015 00:00:00 +0530 Wed, 09 Jul 2025 18:09:00 +0530 TaxTMI RSS Generator https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=196059 Obscenity under Section 292 IPC was assessed by applying contemporary community standards to the work as a whole from the standpoint of the average person, while recognising that freedom of speech is subject to decency and morality restrictions. The Court noted that when a historically respected figure is used as the symbolic voice in a poem, the obscenity inquiry may become more intense because context affects the words' impact. On the material considered, the poem's use of Mahatma Gandhi was capable of attracting a prima facie charge, leaving the author's defence for trial. The charge was sustained against the author, but was quashed against the publisher, who apologised promptly, and the printer, who acted only on instructions. Case-Laws Indian Laws Thu, 14 May 2015 00:00:00 +0530 https://www.taxtmi.com/caselaws?id=196059