ABSTRACT
With the first amendment on freedom of speech and expression USA made a considerable progress towards respecting opinion even when it is dangerous. Following the trail a trend followed across nations including India for ensuring freedom of speech and expression both under statutory provisions as well as judicial precedents. The journey from Romesh Thapar (1950) to Kaushal Kishore (2024) is the glaring example of the impact first amendment in the USA had across the globe. In the quest of ensuring freedom of speech and expression multiple theories developed advocating the same. One such theory is preservation of democracy through speech and expression. It is this justificatory theory which is the subject matter of present investigation. During elections various kinds of opinion help in building narratives and these strategized narratives go a long way in deciding the winning on either side. Briefly the survival of democracy is not solely dependent on the political participation but also on the narration aligning with the expectation of the prospective voter. The present paper is an attempt to trace the impact of narratives on Indian elections and its long-term effect and validity specially in the era of digital communication which takes lightning speed to spread the narration from one to another. The work is important considering the impact on actual freedom to think beyond biases often created by strategized narratives.
