Artistic or poetic freedom not an absolute right: Supreme Court

New Delhi: Artistic or poetic freedom is not an absolute right, particularly when a poem or an article pertaining to historical personalities like the Father of the Nation uses allusion or symbolism bordering on obscenity, the Supreme Court held on Thursday.

A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and Prafuflla C. Pant gave this ruling while deciding whether a poem, Gandhi Mala Bhetala (I met Gandhi), published in a magazine bordered on obscenity or not. It said that the Fundamental Right enshrined in Article 19 (1) (a) of the Constitution was subject to limitations under Article 19 (2).