Essay on Freedom of Speech | Freedom of Speech Essay for Students and Children in English

Essay on Freedom of Speech: The term “freedom of speech” has been taken out of context and given various form of interpretation by people who either don’t understand the term completely or have an agenda in mind. This is a fundamental freedom that every democratic country guarantees its citizens. In this particular freedom of speech essay, we are going to articulate the term and decipher its meaning and provide a well rounded and informative essay on freedom of speech in India and what it means in other countries with different forms of the governance model.

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Long and Short Essays on Freedom of Speech for students and Kids in English

If you are searching for informative and well-articulated freedom of speech essay, then you have come to the right place. We have provided two different essays with a 600-word limit and another one with a 200-word limit. Both of the freedom of speech essay mentioned below covers the topic well and can be used by students of class 6, 7, 8, 9 and 10 for a school project, assignment, essay writing, class test and examination.

Long Essay on Freedom of Speech 600 Words in English

The constitution of India guarantees freedom of speech to every Indian irrespective of gender, caste, creed or religion. This is a fundamental freedom guaranteed that defines the values of democracy ina country. The freedom to practice religion, the freedom to express love and affection, the freedom to express our opinions and dissenting views without hurting sentiments and causing violence is an essential part of what India is made up of.

India and Indians are known for their secular fabric and for uploading democratic values in the world. Hence, it becomes necessary to enforce freedom of speech in India to save and celebrate our democracy. Freedom of speech is not just about our fundamental rights, it is, in fact, a fundamental duty that every citizen should rightfully do in order to save the essence of our democracy.

The kind of freedom of speech you find in matured democratic countries like UK or USA or France or Germany is not seen in authoritarian governments like Malayasia or China or Syria and in failed democracies Pakisthan or Rwanda. In fact, these are failed governance systems because of the lack of freedom of speech in their countries. The freedom of speech in a country can aptly be measured by the freedom of the press. A strong media reflects a strong, liberal and a healthy democracy with an appetite to take criticisms and dissent in a positive manner.

Certain governments are very hostile towards any form of dissent of criticism coming towards them and they try to stifle the voices that might be against them. This is a dangerous precedent for a country. For example, in India, there are more than 130 crore people and we can rest assured that not every person will have the same line of thinking and the same opinion on a topic. The difference of opinions and respect we have for each other in a policy-making body is what makes a true democracy.

All sides and angles of the topic should be considered before making an informed choice. A good democracy will involve all the stakeholders before formulating policy but a bad one will blindside its critics and takes unilateral and authoritarian policies and force them down the throat of their citizens.

One of the biggest examples of curbing freedom of speech in India is the stifling of criticism by using a draconian and Britsh-era law called as sedition law. The sedition law, through section 124A of Indian Penal Code, says that if a person by words either by written or spoken brings hatred, contempt or excites tension towards a government or a person can be fined or jailed or both. This law is never used in its spirit. British used to use this law to silence the freedom fighters of India and now the ruling parties of India use this to stifle the dissenters and in turn, is harming the democratic values of the country.

Also, there are various laws that protect the people of India in rightly fully exercising their freedom of expression. But while the laws stay, its the implementation of these laws that are proving to be a big challenge for the authorities.

At the same time, freedom of speech and expression can’t be absolute. People cant cause violence, hatred, bigotry and tensions in the society in the name of freedom of speech. This will ironically harm the very reason why freedom of speech is allowed in the first place. Freedom of speech should not lead to anarchy and chaos in a country. When article 370 was abrogated in Kashmir, freedom of speech was stifled, not because the government wanted to stifle democratic values but to prevent the spread of fake news, put a curb on terrorism and any sorts of preventing communal tensions in the area.

Short Essay on Freedom of speech essay 200 Words in English

Freedom of speech is the gold standard to measure the health of democracy in any country. The standard of living and the happiness index in a country is based on the extent to which freedom of expression is practiced. Healthy democracies like the USA or France or the UK guarantees great amounts of freedom of expression to their people. Some of the worst counties to fare in terms of freedom of expression are those of authoritarian regimes, dictatorships or failed democracies like Pakistan, China, North Korea, Egypt or Syria.

But at the same time, there are many instances where freedom of speech leads in creating hatred and spread bigotry amongst communities and provoke people to resort to violence. Taking advantage of the freedom of speech has, in many cases, lead to communal riots in India such as the 2020 Delhi riots or the 2002 Godhra riots.

Governments around the world should maintain a balance between freedom of speech and maintaining law and order. To protect freedom of speech we can’t compromise on the law and order of a state and in the same way in order to maintain law and order we should not curtail the freedom of speech of the people. A central point should be found where both can co-exist.

10 lines on Freedom of Speech Essay in English

The fundamental right guaranteed to citizens to express their opinions and dissenting point of view without censorship and fear of anyone is the essence of freedom of speech.
The health of a democracy depends on the extent of freedom of expression of its citizens.
Right to freedom of expression is a fundamental right in the Indian constitution.
Countries like New Zealand, USA or UK fare high in terms of freedom of speech of its citizens.
Authoritarian and non-democratic regimes like Syria, North Korea, China or Pakistan fare low in terms of the freedom of expression of its people.
Countries like India have been trying to find a balance between maintaining law and order and guaranteeing freedom of speech to its people.
No freedom of speech is absolute in nature.
Freedom of speech has limits and can’t be used for illegal purposes like threat, violence, hatred and anarchy in the society.
Free and fair media is the ultimate test for a country’s freedom of speech.
Freedom of speech and law and order in the country should co-exist without curtailing each other.