UPDATED: July 16, 2021 22:02 IST Illustration by Siddhant Jumde It was a moment of celebration for advocates of free speech when the Supreme Court, on March 24, 2015, struck down Section 66A of the Information Technology (IT) Act, 2000. The provision, first tabled in the Lok Sabha in December 2006 to deal with cyber crimes against women, was written into the statute in December 2008 soon after the terror attacks in Mumbai (November 26, 2008). This was during a session of Parliament that prioritised other laws—such as the National Investigation Agency Act and Unlawful Activities Prevention (Amendment) Act—linked to an apparent aim to investigate and prosecute offences affecting India’s security.