Leonpcs at 15:10, 26 April 2026

2026-04-26T15:10:37Z

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{{Short description|Indian lawyer}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2023}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2023}}
{{Infobox person
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| name = Shreya Singhal
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| alma_mater = [[University of Bristol]], Campus Law Centre, [[Faculty of Law]], [[University of Delhi]]
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| known_for = [[Shreya Singhal v. Union of India|Fight for Freedom of Speech on the Internet]]
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| relatives = Late Justice Sunanda Bhandare (grandmother)<br>MC Bhandare (grandfather)
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'''Shreya Singhal''' is an Indian lawyer. Her fight against Section 66A of the [[Information Technology Act, 2000|Information Technology Act of 2000]] in 2015 brought her to national prominence in India.<ref>[http://www.ndtv.com/india-news/section-66-a-scrapped-meet-shreya-singhal-petitioner-who-fought-for-net-freedom-749143 "Section 66(A) Scrapped: Meet Shrey Patel, Petitioner Who Fought for Net Freedom" ], ''[[NDTV]]'', Deepshikha Ghosh, 24 March 2015</ref>

==Early life and education==

She was born into a family of eminent lawyers. Her Great-grandfather, [[H. R. Gokhale]], was a veteran [[Indian National Congress|Congress]] leader and former [[Ministry of Law and Justice (India)|Law Minister]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.thequint.com/news/india/shreya-singhal-fought-for-freedom-from-66a-but-who-is-she|title=Shreya Singhal Fought for Freedom from 66A, but Who is She?|date=24 March 2015}}</ref> during [[The Emergency (India)|The Emergency]] (1975–1977).<ref>{{Cite news |date=1978-02-16 |title=H. R. Gokhale, Ex‐Minister in India (Published 1978) |url=https://www.nytimes.com/1978/02/16/archives/hr-gokhale-exminister-in-india-chief-spokesman-in-parliament-cited.html |access-date=2025-08-10 |language=en}}</ref> Her Grandmother, Justice Sunanda Bhandare, was a judge of the Delhi High Court and a distinguished lawyer. Her Grandfather, [[Murlidhar Chandrakant Bhandare|Shri M.C. Bhandare]], is a Senior Advocate, former [[Member of parliament (India)|Member of Parliament]] and former [[List of governors of Odisha|Governor of Odisha]]. Her mother, Manali Bhandare, is a lawyer practicing at the [[Supreme Court of India]].{{citation needed|date=January 2023}}

She completed her schooling from the Vasant Valley School in New Delhi in 2009, after which she went to pursue Astrophysics at the [[University of Bristol]] in the United Kingdom.{{citation needed|date= September 2022}} She subsequently enrolled at the Campus Law Centre, Faculty of Law at [[Delhi University]], where she graduated in 2016.{{citation needed|date= September 2022}}

==Section 66A and restriction of free speech==
{{Main | Shreya Singhal v. Union of India }}

Section 66A of the IT Act, 2000 provided for punishment for sending offensive messages through communication service, etc. Any person who sends, by means of a computer resource or a communication device -

(a) any information that is grossly offensive or has menacing character; or

(b) any information which he knows to be false, but for the purpose of causing annoyance, inconvenience, danger, obstruction, insult, injury, criminal intimidation, enmity, hatred or ill will, persistently by making use of such computer resource or a communication device; or

(c) any electronic mail or electronic mail message for the purpose of causing annoyance or inconvenience or to deceive or to mislead the addressee or recipient about the origin of such messages, shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to three years and with fine.

Before 2015, [[Government of India]] restricted freedom of speech for avoiding self-harm and misuse. This allowed arrest of any person which the law per see as harmful or misuse.{{citation needed|date= September 2022}}

In 2012, Shreya filed a [[Public interest litigation in India|Public Interest Litigation]] in the [[Supreme Court of India]] against the Act. In 2015, a division bench of the Supreme Court struck down Section 66A of [[Information Technology Act, 2000]]. This was hailed as a major step in the country's quest for freedom of speech and expression.<ref>[http://www.firstpost.com/india/the-girl-who-saved-freedom-of-speech-meet-24-year-old-shreya-singhal-2172171.html "The girl who saved freedom of speech: Meet 24-year-old student Shreya Singhal"], ''Firstpost'', 25 March 2015</ref>

==See also==
* [[Mouthshut.com v. Union of India]]
* [[Information Technology Act, 2000]]<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.legitquest.com/case/shreya-singhal-v-union-of-india/90624|title=Shreya Singhal vs Union of India|last=|first=|date=2015-03-24|website=Legitquest|archive-url=|archive-date=|access-date=}}</ref>

==References==
{{Reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Singhal, Shreya}}
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Freedom of speech in India]]
[[Category:Supreme Court of India lawyers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian lawyers]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian women lawyers]]
[[Category:Alumni of the University of Bristol]]
[[Category:Faculty of Law, University of Delhi alumni]]

Shreya Singhal - Revision history

Leonpcs at 15:10, 26 April 2026