India, Aug. 3 -- It is not the function of courts to "preach or teach" citizens on what they ought to say or not, retired Supreme Court Judge Abhay Oka said, while urging constitutional courts to quash criminal cases initiated merely to silence dissent.

Speaking at the inaugural Advocate Haroon Solkar Memorial Lecture Series in Mumbai on Saturday, Justice Oka said courts are not meant to decide what citizens should or should not say. Their responsibility is to safeguard fundamental rights, even when the views expressed by individuals may not align with those of the judges, news agency PTI reported.

Justice Oka said citizens have a constitutional right to stage peaceful protests and express their grievances.

Referring to Irish writer Si...