# Supreme Court judge warns against criminalising peaceful dissent 2026-08-13T03:35:18+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan said India’s democratic space is shrinking and warned against the growing tendency to criminalise peaceful dissent. Speaking at the National Law Institute University in Bhopal, he questioned why protesting students, activists and journalists are being denied bail for extended periods. The Hindu reports that Justice Bhuyan specifically cited the arrest of eight Muslim men in Varanasi for eating chicken while breaking their Ramzan fast on a boat in the Ganga, pointing out that no law prohibits the act. He also criticised the refusal to permit a peaceful pro-Palestine demonstration in Mumbai, saying peaceful assembly cannot be curtailed merely because views are inconvenient to those in power. ## Coverage - thehindu.com Tags: Bail, civil liberties, constitutional rights, dissent, Supreme Court, Ujjal Bhuyan Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-judge-warns-against-criminalising-peaceful-dissent/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/supreme-court-judge-warns-against-criminalising-peaceful-dissent/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.