Professor Ambikesh Mahapatra was arrested under Sec 66(A) in Kolkata.
Professor Ambikesh Mahapatra, whose arrest for forwarding a cartoon of West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee - under section 66(A) - made national headlines, has welcomed the Supreme Court's decision of scrapping the contentious law that was seen as a major infringement of the freedom of speech online.
"This is very good news for the people," Prof Mahapatra, 55, said, "because this verdict will protect freedom of speech, human rights and democratic rights of the common people."
In April 2012, Prof Mahapatra who teaches Chemistry at the prestigious Jadavpur University in Kolkata, was arrested for forwarding an e-mail with a cartoon lampooning Ms Banerjee, to 65 people.
He and his neighbour, Subrata Sengupta, had to spend a night inside the Jadavpur police station lock-up for violating Sec 66(A).
Despite today's Supreme Court order, Prof Mahapatra is not very hopeful about the state government withdrawing the case against him. "I will not apply to the state to withdraw the case," he said, adding "I have no expectations of Mamata Banerjee because she is very intolerant and vindictive. She did not obey, she does not obey, and she will not obey the Indian Constitution."
After his arrest, he and Mr Sengupta approached the State Human Rights Commission which passed a verdict in their favour and ordered the government to pay them a compensation of Rs. 50,000 each. Both are still waiting to be compensated.
Earlier this month, the Calcutta High Court awarded them an additional Rs 50,000 for legal expenses. But they are not very hopeful of state government obeying the court's order.
Prof Mahapatra, and a few others have come together to set up an organisation called "Amra Akranto" or "We, the attacked." One of the members is Shiladitya Chowdhury of West Midnapore who invited Ms Banerjee's wrath after asking a question about fertilizer prizes at a public rally in Belapahari in August 2012. The angry chief minister called him a maoist and got him arrested. He was released after spending time in jail.