J. Barton Scott

J. Barton Scott, an Associate Professor at the University of Toronto and author of 'Slandering the Sacred,' delves into colonial India's blasphemy law, Section 295A, and its complex effects on free speech and religion. He examines the evolution of this law and its implications for contemporary debates on secularism and hate speech. Scott challenges the conventional view of 295A, framing it as a proto-hate speech statute rather than merely a blasphemy law. His insights reveal how colonial legal innovations influenced modern regulatory approaches to religious expression.