August 27, 2026

July 2026

From Texas to California, US data centre protests go nationwide amid AI infrastructure boom

From Texas to California, US data centre protests go nationwide amid AI infrastructure boom

Vamsikrishna04 mins mins

US data centre protests go nationwide as AI infrastructure faces growing backlash (Reuters image) Opposition to the rapid expansion of data centres across the United States turned into a nationwide movement on Saturday as activists staged 142 protests across 42 states, marking the first coordinated national campaign against the growing AI infrastructure boom.The demonstrations were…

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NEW DELHI: Drawing a distinction between using abuse language and the offence of obscenity, Supreme Court has said that use of mere swear words, profanities and vulgar expletives, however distasteful or uncivil they may be, cannot be equated with obscenity and is not an offence. It set aside conviction under Section 294 for a person who had used abusive slurs for mother and sister during an altercation.A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Vipul M Pancholi said obscenity which is an offence under IPC is not synonymous with “vulgarity”, “abuse” or “profanity”. “Words which are merely vulgar or abusive may evoke a feeling of disgust, revulsion or shock, but that by itself does not make them obscene in law. It is for this reason that this Court, through various judicial pronouncements, has held that the use of abusive, vulgar or profane language does not necessarily constitute obscenity. Abusive words lacked lascivious element: SC This Court in Samaresh Bose v. Amal Mitra case, while considering a Bengali novel, held that the use of slang, unconventional words or vulgar language may create a feeling of disgust or revulsion, but that does not necessarily amount to obscenity,” the bench said.It said the test to determine whether the words complained of are obscene or not is to see whether the words fulfil three ingredients – (i) it should be lascivious; (ii) appeals to prurient interests of people; and (iii) has a tendency to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely to see, hear or read it. “Further, it must also be shown that the use of such words has caused annoyance to others. Unless presence of essential ingredients is established, the offence of obscenity cannot be said to be made out,” the court said while examining the ambit of Section 294Section 294 says Whoever, to the annoyance of others, (a) does any obscene act in any public place, or (b) sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months. The court said that in order to constitute an offence under the Section, the words uttered must contain some lascivious element capable of arousing sexual thoughts or feelings and must further be shown to have caused annoyance to others.”In the present case, during an altercation, the appellant allegedly uttered: ‘Hey Mother…r! You son of a w….e! Are you coming in support of your elder sister’s son? Just f…k off, you ‘K….a’ F…r’…’. It is this which is sought to be invoked under Section 294(b) of the IPC. Going by the version of Prosecution witnesses-1 himself, the words and verbal slang used by the appellant were, at best, abusive or vulgar in nature. The Collins English Dictionary defines the word “abusive” as a language which ‘is extremely rude and insulting’ Whereas the word ‘vulgar’ is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “rude and likely to upset or anger people, especially by referring to sex and the body in an unpleasant way” These definitions clearly show that words may be insulting, offensive or unpleasant without necessarily being obscene in law,” the bench said.”For an utterance to be considered obscene, it must be shown that it was lascivious, appealed to prurient interests and had the tendency to deprave and corrupt the minds of those who are exposed to it. Tested on this anvil, even if all the allegations levelled in the complaint are taken at their face value and accepted to be true in entirety, the same cannot be held to be obscene. Such words, howsoever abusive, unpalatable or uncivil, do not satisfy the requirement of Section 294(b) IPC for there being nothing on record to show that they had any one or all three elements referred to hereinabove. Further, it is nobody’s case that use of such words causes annoyance to others in a public place, which is a mandatory ingredient of the Section, much less to the complainant . In absence thereof, we find that the offence under Section 294(b) IPC is not made out,” the bench said.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosJantar Mantar Ground Report: What’s Happening at CJP Protest Site After Sonam Wangchuk’s Removal?’Police Beat Us, Dragged Sonam Sir Away Like a Sack’: Eyewitnesses Describe How Wangchuk Was RemovedMHA Replaces Delhi Police Chief, Hours Later Sonam Wangchuk ‘Forcefully Removed’ From Jantar MantarDMK’s ‘Not Yet’ on Delimitation Bill Boosts NDA Hope for Two-Thirds Majority In Lok Sabha | StalinSC Says Election Commission Cannot Decide Citizenship, Seeks Replies From WB Govt And ECBulldozers Roll In As TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s Amtala Office Faces Demolition | West BengalVikram-1 Reaches Orbit, Making India A Global Leader In Private Space Launch Capability | WatchNCP-NCP(SP) Merger Buzz Grows As BJP Eyes Stronger NDA Ahead Of Crucial Parliament VotesCJP’s Abhijeet Dipke Begins Indefinite Hunger Strike After Sonam Wangchuk Is HospitalisedSonam Wangchuk’s Wife Opposes Medical Treatment Without Consent; Abhijeet Dipke Begins Hunger Strike123PhotostoriesTwo seeds that can boost hair growth instantlyThink cataracts only happen after 60? Doctor warns that diabetes is making this eye condition appear decades earlierWhen words wound: Five phrases in a relationship that quietly kill new love”I have replaced rice with…”: National award winner Yam Gautam enjoys this fiber-rich seed for lunch and dinner; 8 ways you can enjoy it tooYou may be ageing your brain without knowing it: Neurologists reveal how poor sleep and everyday habits could affect memory and cognitive healthYou can lose up to 80% of kidney function without knowing it: Doctors explain the warning signs of chronic kidney disease6 historic colonial-era homes in India that stand as timeless architectural treasuresAnne Hathaway’s houses: A look inside the ‘Odyssey’ star’s most notable properties over the yearsFrom ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ to ‘The Green Knight’: Top 5 dark fantasy movies to add to your watch listFrom blue streets to yellow houses; 7 colourful towns around the world that look straight out of a fairytale123Hot PicksFIFA World Cup LiveNITI AayogSonam Wangchuk educationAIBE XXI resultAbhijeet DipkeAMRUT 2.0 water projectISRO scientists resignMahadev betting appSkyroot AerospaceTop TrendingKolkata Airport Mosque BanMurshidabad School Van AccidentFIFA World Cup 2026Mangaluru MurderCJP Hunger StrikeAndhra Pradesh Covid 19 DeathNEET ResultIshowspeedGujarat RapeIran war

NEW DELHI: Drawing a distinction between using abuse language and the offence of obscenity, Supreme Court has said that use of mere swear words, profanities and vulgar expletives, however distasteful or uncivil they may be, cannot be equated with obscenity and is not an offence. It set aside conviction under Section 294 for a person who had used abusive slurs for mother and sister during an altercation.A bench of Justices Sanjay Karol and Vipul M Pancholi said obscenity which is an offence under IPC is not synonymous with “vulgarity”, “abuse” or “profanity”. “Words which are merely vulgar or abusive may evoke a feeling of disgust, revulsion or shock, but that by itself does not make them obscene in law. It is for this reason that this Court, through various judicial pronouncements, has held that the use of abusive, vulgar or profane language does not necessarily constitute obscenity. Abusive words lacked lascivious element: SC This Court in Samaresh Bose v. Amal Mitra case, while considering a Bengali novel, held that the use of slang, unconventional words or vulgar language may create a feeling of disgust or revulsion, but that does not necessarily amount to obscenity,” the bench said.It said the test to determine whether the words complained of are obscene or not is to see whether the words fulfil three ingredients – (i) it should be lascivious; (ii) appeals to prurient interests of people; and (iii) has a tendency to deprave and corrupt persons who are likely to see, hear or read it. “Further, it must also be shown that the use of such words has caused annoyance to others. Unless presence of essential ingredients is established, the offence of obscenity cannot be said to be made out,” the court said while examining the ambit of Section 294Section 294 says Whoever, to the annoyance of others, (a) does any obscene act in any public place, or (b) sings, recites or utters any obscene song, ballad or words, in or near any public place, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to three months. The court said that in order to constitute an offence under the Section, the words uttered must contain some lascivious element capable of arousing sexual thoughts or feelings and must further be shown to have caused annoyance to others.”In the present case, during an altercation, the appellant allegedly uttered: ‘Hey Mother…r! You son of a w….e! Are you coming in support of your elder sister’s son? Just f…k off, you ‘K….a’ F…r’…’. It is this which is sought to be invoked under Section 294(b) of the IPC. Going by the version of Prosecution witnesses-1 himself, the words and verbal slang used by the appellant were, at best, abusive or vulgar in nature. The Collins English Dictionary defines the word “abusive” as a language which ‘is extremely rude and insulting’ Whereas the word ‘vulgar’ is defined by the Cambridge Dictionary as “rude and likely to upset or anger people, especially by referring to sex and the body in an unpleasant way” These definitions clearly show that words may be insulting, offensive or unpleasant without necessarily being obscene in law,” the bench said.”For an utterance to be considered obscene, it must be shown that it was lascivious, appealed to prurient interests and had the tendency to deprave and corrupt the minds of those who are exposed to it. Tested on this anvil, even if all the allegations levelled in the complaint are taken at their face value and accepted to be true in entirety, the same cannot be held to be obscene. Such words, howsoever abusive, unpalatable or uncivil, do not satisfy the requirement of Section 294(b) IPC for there being nothing on record to show that they had any one or all three elements referred to hereinabove. Further, it is nobody’s case that use of such words causes annoyance to others in a public place, which is a mandatory ingredient of the Section, much less to the complainant . In absence thereof, we find that the offence under Section 294(b) IPC is not made out,” the bench said.Get the latest India News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.End of ArticleFollow Us On Social MediaVideosJantar Mantar Ground Report: What’s Happening at CJP Protest Site After Sonam Wangchuk’s Removal?’Police Beat Us, Dragged Sonam Sir Away Like a Sack’: Eyewitnesses Describe How Wangchuk Was RemovedMHA Replaces Delhi Police Chief, Hours Later Sonam Wangchuk ‘Forcefully Removed’ From Jantar MantarDMK’s ‘Not Yet’ on Delimitation Bill Boosts NDA Hope for Two-Thirds Majority In Lok Sabha | StalinSC Says Election Commission Cannot Decide Citizenship, Seeks Replies From WB Govt And ECBulldozers Roll In As TMC MP Abhishek Banerjee’s Amtala Office Faces Demolition | West BengalVikram-1 Reaches Orbit, Making India A Global Leader In Private Space Launch Capability | WatchNCP-NCP(SP) Merger Buzz Grows As BJP Eyes Stronger NDA Ahead Of Crucial Parliament VotesCJP’s Abhijeet Dipke Begins Indefinite Hunger Strike After Sonam Wangchuk Is HospitalisedSonam Wangchuk’s Wife Opposes Medical Treatment Without Consent; Abhijeet Dipke Begins Hunger Strike123PhotostoriesTwo seeds that can boost hair growth instantlyThink cataracts only happen after 60? Doctor warns that diabetes is making this eye condition appear decades earlierWhen words wound: Five phrases in a relationship that quietly kill new love”I have replaced rice with…”: National award winner Yam Gautam enjoys this fiber-rich seed for lunch and dinner; 8 ways you can enjoy it tooYou may be ageing your brain without knowing it: Neurologists reveal how poor sleep and everyday habits could affect memory and cognitive healthYou can lose up to 80% of kidney function without knowing it: Doctors explain the warning signs of chronic kidney disease6 historic colonial-era homes in India that stand as timeless architectural treasuresAnne Hathaway’s houses: A look inside the ‘Odyssey’ star’s most notable properties over the yearsFrom ‘Pan’s Labyrinth’ to ‘The Green Knight’: Top 5 dark fantasy movies to add to your watch listFrom blue streets to yellow houses; 7 colourful towns around the world that look straight out of a fairytale123Hot PicksFIFA World Cup LiveNITI AayogSonam Wangchuk educationAIBE XXI resultAbhijeet DipkeAMRUT 2.0 water projectISRO scientists resignMahadev betting appSkyroot AerospaceTop TrendingKolkata Airport Mosque BanMurshidabad School Van AccidentFIFA World Cup 2026Mangaluru MurderCJP Hunger StrikeAndhra Pradesh Covid 19 DeathNEET ResultIshowspeedGujarat RapeIran war

Vamsikrishna04 mins mins

NEW DELHI: Drawing a distinction between using abuse language and the offence of obscenity, Supreme Court has said that use of mere swear words, profanities and vulgar expletives, however distasteful or uncivil they may be, cannot be equated with obscenity and is not an offence. It set aside conviction under Section 294 for a person…

Read More
Skyroot puts first private rocket in orbit & India in elite club; Vikram-1 delivers 6 payloads after 35-minute delay | India News

Skyroot puts first private rocket in orbit & India in elite club; Vikram-1 delivers 6 payloads after 35-minute delay | India News

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

SRIHARIKOTA: A sudden hold in the final five minutes of the countdown briefly froze the celebration waiting to erupt at Sriharikota. Then, after a tense 35-minute delay and a restart of the launch sequence, Skyroot Aerospace’s Vikram-1 roared off the first launchpad at the Satish Dhawan Space Centre here at 12.05 pm Saturday, becoming India’s…

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Meet Indian-origin tech leader Uday Ruddaraju, who has become OpenAI’s CTO of Compute

Meet Indian-origin tech leader Uday Ruddaraju, who has become OpenAI’s CTO of Compute

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

Indian-origin tech leader Uday Ruddaraju named CTO, Compute of OpenAI. OpenAI has promoted Indian-origin tech leader Uday Ruddaraju to the role of CTO of Compute, a year after Ruddaraju joined OpenAI after stepping down as Head of Infrastructure Engineering at xAI.“My first 12 months at OpenAI have been incredibly rewarding. Our Compute team has worked…

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Another House panel defers edu reforms report adoption; move seen as part of govt’s outreach to oppn for delimit bill support | India News

Another House panel defers edu reforms report adoption; move seen as part of govt’s outreach to oppn for delimit bill support | India News

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

Move Seen As Part Of Govt’s Outreach To Oppn For Delimit Bill Support NEW DELHI: A day after a parliamentary committee abruptly deferred the adoption of its report on a contentious anti-graft bill, another parliamentary panel, which is examining govt’s proposed law to replace multiple higher education regulators with one umbrella body, has called off…

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Yash calls Ramayana India’s dream project, says Ranbir Kapoor ‘has surrendered himself’ to Lord Ram; praises Sai Pallavi as a ‘flawless actor’ | Hindi Movie News

Yash calls Ramayana India’s dream project, says Ranbir Kapoor ‘has surrendered himself’ to Lord Ram; praises Sai Pallavi as a ‘flawless actor’ | Hindi Movie News

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

Yash calls Ramayana India’s dream project, says Ranbir Kapoor ‘has surrendered himself’ to Lord Ram; praises Sai Pallavi as a ‘flawless actor’ The promotional campaign for Nitesh Tiwari’s much-awaited epic Ramayana began on a grand note in New Delhi on Saturday, with actor Yash saying the film is driven by a shared vision rather than…

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Medical colleges to decide own faculty appointments, promotions: National Medical Commission | India News

Medical colleges to decide own faculty appointments, promotions: National Medical Commission | India News

Vamsikrishna02 mins mins

NEW DELHI: Medical colleges across the country will now decide faculty appointments and promotions on their own, with the National Medical Commission (NMC) ending routine eligibility clearances. Only exceptional cases involving regulatory ambiguity will be taken up by the regulator for a fee of Rs 25,000 plus GST.The decision comes after it was observed that…

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As Volkswagen puts 100 sheep to work at its plant in Europe, director Marzena Pillich-Gronska says: Sheep project demonstrates that modern industry can …

As Volkswagen puts 100 sheep to work at its plant in Europe, director Marzena Pillich-Gronska says: Sheep project demonstrates that modern industry can …

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

Volkswagen replaced lawnmowers with 100 sheep at its Poland solar farm Volkswagen has traded lawnmowers for a flock of 100 sheep at its massive solar farm in Poland. According to a report, the automotive giant is using the animals to keep the grass short around the facility while working on a major scientific study on…

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‘I need help’: Spain World Cup winner appeals directly to President Donald Trump after US entry denial | Football News

‘I need help’: Spain World Cup winner appeals directly to President Donald Trump after US entry denial | Football News

Vamsikrishna03 mins mins

Spain legend Joan Capdevila appeals to Donald Trump after US entry denial before final/ Image: X Spain’s preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup final have been accompanied by an unexpected off-field story after 2010 World Cup winner Joan Capdevila revealed that he has reportedly been denied permission to enter the United States and appealed…

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