Supreme Court judge Justice DY Chandrachud on Monday said that anti-terror law should not be "misused for quelling dissent".
"Criminal law, including anti-terror legislation, should not be misused for quelling dissent or harassment to citizens," Justice Chandrachud said while speaking at Indo-US Joint Summer Conference on Indo-US legal ties.
Recalling his judgement in the case of Republic Editor Arnab Goswami, the judge said that courts must ensure that they continue to remain the "first line of defence against the deprivation of liberty of citizens".
"Deprivation of liberty for even a single day is one too many. We must always be mindful of the deeper systemic issues of our decisions," he added.
The remarks are significant as they come amid outrage over the death of 84-year-old activist Stan Swamy in jail. Swamy was arrested under UAPA in the Elgar Parishad case last year and died last week in jail fighting for bail on health grounds.
A number of activists and students are currently languishing in jails on terror charges without bail.
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