Open Letter Invokes Art 19, Misuse of Sedition Law & Delhi Riots
4 years, 6 months ago

Open Letter Invokes Art 19, Misuse of Sedition Law & Delhi Riots

The Quint  

Referring to what happened in Karnataka, it added: “When, as happened in Karnataka, in consequence of a school play critical of the CAA a primary school teacher and the mother of a student are charged with sedition and two young children aged 9 and 10 are questioned by police over many days, this becomes a theatre of the absurd. The online portal Scroll.in reported that more than “10,000 Adivasis in Jharkhand have been accused of sedition and disturbing public order” in connection with the Pathalgadi movement. In the celebrated Bhima-Koregaon case several of India’s finest social and human rights activists like Sudha Bharadwaj, Shoma Sen and Gautam Navlakha and public intellectuals like Anand Teltumbde languish in prison under the malevolent label of “urban Maoists”, which consigns such exemplars of civic life to the reviled category of “anti-national”. Attacks on students of Jawaharlal Nehru University and Jamia Milia Islamia recently choked the rights of students and faculty to voice their criticism of the existing state of affairs, including the CAA.”

Letter Invokes  law  19  public  riots  open  rights  criticism  happened  students  karnataka  letter  invokes  misuse  case  sedition  delhi  art  school

History of this topic

Criminalising words: on allegedly divisive speeches
6 months, 4 weeks ago

Criminalising words: on allegedly divisive speeches

The Hindu  

The grant of sanction to prosecute writer-activist Arundhati Roy and academician Sheikh Showkat Hussain for alleged “unlawful activity” in a case dating back to 2010 is unwarranted. Saxena, who had accorded sanction in October 2023 to prosecute the Booker Prize-winning writer and the former Kashmir University professor, respectively, for allegedly divisive speeches and imputations against national unity, has now given …

India repeals outdated British-era sedition law. Experts call it a ‘repackaging’ exercise
1 year, 5 months ago

India repeals outdated British-era sedition law. Experts call it a ‘repackaging’ exercise

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy India’s outdated British-era sedition law …

Where anyone can be accused of sedition
1 year, 7 months ago

Where anyone can be accused of sedition

The Hindu  

French author Andre Gide once said, “Everything has been said before, but since nobody listens we have to keep going back and beginning all over again.” This captures the current state of the debate on sedition in India. The 279th Law Commission Report, laying down the grounds for retaining sedition, is starkly symbolic of how “nobody listens.” The Commission has …

Law Commission’s Report on Sedition Ignores Free Speech Law and Indian Colonial History
1 year, 7 months ago

Law Commission’s Report on Sedition Ignores Free Speech Law and Indian Colonial History

Live Law  

The Law Commission of India released its 279th Report on ‘Usage of the Law of Sedition”. This argument is buttressed by a 2016 paper by philosophy professor Arudra Burra that problematizes the idea of the colonial nature of Indian law by asserting that the colonial origin of laws are “normatively neutral”. While the British government faced threats to its stability …

Sedition law report: A regressive step by Law Commission
1 year, 7 months ago

Sedition law report: A regressive step by Law Commission

The Hindu  

Published : Jun 08, 2023 19:40 IST - 7 MINS READ The 22nd Law Commission has recommended that Section 124 A of the Indian Penal Code dealing with the offence of sedition be retained and that the minimum jail term for the offence be enhanced from three years to seven years. While the Court practically suspended the provision, the Law …

Law Commission's Report on Sedition Ignores Free Speech, Lacks Depth
1 year, 7 months ago

Law Commission's Report on Sedition Ignores Free Speech, Lacks Depth

The Quint  

The 279th report proposes that the scope of sedition be expanded to include even speech which does not incite any violence or public disorder but which may have a “tendency” to do so. In doing so, the Commission completely misreads the Constitution Bench judgement of Kedar Nath Singh v State of Bihar and outrightly ignores subsequent jurisprudence which has interpreted …

DC Edit | Dissent, even if unseemly, should not lead to arrest
1 year, 10 months ago

DC Edit | Dissent, even if unseemly, should not lead to arrest

Deccan Chronicle  

The timely and resolute intervention of the Supreme Court to prevent the incarceration of Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera for cases registered against him over his comment that was critical of the Prime Minister has spared our blushes seeing as we call ourselves the oldest democracy in the world. It also issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh and Assam governments to …

Rise of sedition cases in Karnataka
2 years, 4 months ago

Rise of sedition cases in Karnataka

The Hindu  

Karnataka had the ignominy of recording the highest number of sedition cases in the country — 22 against 25 individuals in 2019. Here are a few prominent cases: Bidar school case In 2020, the Bidar police filed a sedition case against teachers, parents of Shaheen school for organising a play against CAA-NRC, in which the Prime Minister was allegedly insulted. …

Is This the Beginning of the End of Sedition Law in India?
2 years, 8 months ago

Is This the Beginning of the End of Sedition Law in India?

News 18  

Probably, in a first in independent India’s history, a criminal law has been put on hold by the apex court when the central government decided to review its provision. A three-judge bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana held in its order that “Union of India agrees with the prima facie opinion expressed by this court that the …

Sedition Law: 399 Cases Filed, Convictions in Only 8 Between 2014 and 2020, Shows Home Ministry Data
2 years, 8 months ago

Sedition Law: 399 Cases Filed, Convictions in Only 8 Between 2014 and 2020, Shows Home Ministry Data

News 18  

Of the 399 cases of sedition were registered in India between 2014 and 2020, convictions were granted in eight, Union Home Ministry data shows. Section 124A says that “whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection …

India’s Supreme Court suspends all cases involving controversial colonial-era charge of ‘sedition’
2 years, 8 months ago

India’s Supreme Court suspends all cases involving controversial colonial-era charge of ‘sedition’

The Independent  

For free real time breaking news alerts sent straight to your inbox sign up to our breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails Sign up to our free breaking news emails SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy In a historic development, the …

India puts hold on harsh sedition law used to stifle critics
2 years, 8 months ago

India puts hold on harsh sedition law used to stifle critics

Associated Press  

NEW DELHI — India’s top court put the country’s colonial-era sedition law on hold Wednesday. “It will be appropriate not to use this provision of law till further reexamination is over,” the three-judge bench headed by India’s Chief Justice N.V. Ramana said in New Delhi. India’s sedition law, like its equivalent in other formerly British-ruled countries, offers a legal framework …

'Govt Doing What Nehru Couldn't': Centre tells Supreme Court on Re-examining Sedition Law
2 years, 8 months ago

'Govt Doing What Nehru Couldn't': Centre tells Supreme Court on Re-examining Sedition Law

News 18  

India’s first prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru, on Tuesday, found a mention in the Supreme Court during the hearing of pleas challenging the sedition law. Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who was representing the petitioners arguing about the misuse of sedition law, said that former PM Nehru had echoed similar thoughts regarding Section 124A, which criminalises sedition. We are trying to do …

India top court puts colonial-era sedition law on hold for review
2 years, 8 months ago

India top court puts colonial-era sedition law on hold for review

Al Jazeera  

Rights groups and even the Supreme Court have spoken out about rampant misuse of the law against activists, writers and students. India’s Supreme Court has barred the government from using a colonial-era sedition law that critics say is often used to stifle dissent, pending a review. The Law Commission of India and even the Supreme Court have at various times …

Committee on criminal law reforms recommended amendments to sedition law
2 years, 8 months ago

Committee on criminal law reforms recommended amendments to sedition law

The Hindu  

A panel of experts constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs to suggest reforms to the British-era Indian Penal Code has recommended amendments to the sedition law, a senior government official told The Hindu. The Committee for Reforms in Criminal Laws appointed by the MHA in 2020 submitted an exhaustive report in March, which among other IPC sections also examined …

Sedition- Supreme Court Hearing On Constitutional Validity Of Section 124A IPC- Live Updates
2 years, 8 months ago

Sedition- Supreme Court Hearing On Constitutional Validity Of Section 124A IPC- Live Updates

Live Law  

A bench comprising the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli to continue hearing TODAY on the petition challenging the Constitutional validity of Section 124A of Indian Penal Code which deals with the law of Sedition in India.The bench will consider today the preliminary issue of whether a reference to a larger bench is …

Sedition- Supreme Court Hearing On Constitutional Validity Of Section 124A IPC- Live Updates
2 years, 8 months ago

Sedition- Supreme Court Hearing On Constitutional Validity Of Section 124A IPC- Live Updates

Live Law  

A bench comprising the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli to continue hearing TODAY on the petition challenging the Constitutional validity of Section 124A of Indian Penal Code which deals with the law of Sedition in India.The bench will consider today the preliminary issue of whether a reference to a larger bench is …

Explained: How successive state and central governments have defended sedition law in the past
2 years, 8 months ago

Explained: How successive state and central governments have defended sedition law in the past

Firstpost  

From the Aseem Trivedi case of 2012 to the Rana couple incident of 2022, different parties have used the contentious legislation and defended it, despite opposition from other corners After calling sedition a “good law” and telling the Supreme Court that there was no need to strike it down, the Centre on Monday climbed down from its previous stance, saying …

SC to hear pleas to scrap the sedition law today: Explaining the British-era offence and how it's being 'misused'
2 years, 8 months ago

SC to hear pleas to scrap the sedition law today: Explaining the British-era offence and how it's being 'misused'

Firstpost  

The Apex court last year had asked the Centre why it was not repealing the colonial-era law used by the British to silence people like Mahatma Gandhi to suppress the freedom movement, as it expressed concern over the misuse of the provision A Supreme Court bench is scheduled to hear on Wednesday a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity …

13 booked for sedition in connection with sloganeering inside Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, says police
2 years, 9 months ago

13 booked for sedition in connection with sloganeering inside Jamia Masjid in Srinagar, says police

Firstpost  

Srinagar: Thirteen people have been arrested and booked for sedition in connection with the “anti-national” sloganeering inside the famous Jamia Masjid here, police said on Saturday. The accused had received instructions from Pakistani handlers of terror outfits to disrupt Friday prayers and create a law and order situation by provoking people, Senior Superintendent of Police Srinagar Rakesh Balwal said. “Eleven …

Sedition Law Hinders Full Realization Of Free Press: Journalists Patricia Mukhim and Anuradha Bhasin Move Supreme Court Against Section 124A IPC
3 years, 5 months ago

Sedition Law Hinders Full Realization Of Free Press: Journalists Patricia Mukhim and Anuradha Bhasin Move Supreme Court Against Section 124A IPC

Live Law  

Another petition has been filed before the Supreme Court challenging the constitutional validity of the offence of sedition as codified in Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code. The petition has been filed by two women journalists, Patricia Mukhim and Anuradha Bhasin, claiming that the use of sedition offence to intimidate, silence and punish journalists, has continued unrestrained and the …

Challenge To Sedition Offence : Supreme Court Seeks Responses Of Attorney General, Union of India; Hearing On July 27
3 years, 6 months ago

Challenge To Sedition Offence : Supreme Court Seeks Responses Of Attorney General, Union of India; Hearing On July 27

Live Law  

The Supreme Court on Monday adjourned to July 27 the hearing of the challenge to the constitutionality of the offence of sedition under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code.Attorney General for India KK Venugopal, to whom the bench had issued notice on the petition on April 30, and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was appearing for the Union of …

Colonial legacy of sedition law cannot be overlooked: NIA court
3 years, 6 months ago

Colonial legacy of sedition law cannot be overlooked: NIA court

The Hindu  

A special court of the National Investigation Agency has said the colonial legacy of the sedition law cannot be overlooked while hoping that activist-MLA Akhil Gogoi’s case based on insufficient evidence would be an exception for the investigation agency that the country expects to set high standards. “This is to ensure that while enforcing this penal law by police and …

SC to Examine Validity of Sedition Law After PIL Calls it Unconstitutional, Seeks Centre's Response
3 years, 8 months ago

SC to Examine Validity of Sedition Law After PIL Calls it Unconstitutional, Seeks Centre's Response

News 18  

The Supreme Court Friday sought response from the Centre on a plea challenging the Constitutional validity of sedition law. A bench Justice U U Lalit, Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice KM Joseph were hearing a plea challenging section 124-A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, which penalises the crime of sedition. The petition also argued that the vagueness of Section …

Supreme Court agrees to hear plea challenging sedition law
3 years, 8 months ago

Supreme Court agrees to hear plea challenging sedition law

India Today  

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a plea challenging the legal validity of Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code that deals with the offence of sedition. The sedition law has been challenged by two journalists -- Kishorechandra Wangkhemcha from Manipur and Kanhaiya Lal Shukla from Chhattisgarh -- on the grounds that the law violates the fundamental right of …

Disagreeing with govt is not sedition, says SC
3 years, 10 months ago

Disagreeing with govt is not sedition, says SC

Hindustan Times  

It is not seditious to have views different from the government, the Supreme Court said on Wednesday as it junked a petition that sought action against former Jammu & Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah for his comments on the scrapping of Article 370 and the bifurcation of the state into two Union territories. The word “sedition” disappeared from the Constitution …

A colonial relic: The Hindu Editorial on need to scrap sedition law
3 years, 10 months ago

A colonial relic: The Hindu Editorial on need to scrap sedition law

The Hindu  

A sessions court in Delhi has affirmed the belief that a dispassionate scrutiny of outlandish claims by the police is necessary for protecting the liberty of those jailed on flimsy, often political, reasons. Rejecting the purported evidence presented by the Delhi Police against climate change activist Disha Ravi, as “scanty and sketchy”, Judge Dharmender Rana has granted bail to the …

The crippling effect of sedition and UAPA on dissent in India
4 years, 3 months ago

The crippling effect of sedition and UAPA on dissent in India

Hindustan Times  

A journalist from Kerala was accused of sedition and various offences under the Unlawful Activities Act, 1967, and arrested on the way to Hathras on October 7. A journalist from Kerala was accused of sedition and various offences under the Unlawful Activities Act, 1967, and arrested on the way to Hathras on October 7 Section 124A of the Indian Penal …

Critics of India’s Modi government face sedition charges
4 years, 10 months ago

Critics of India’s Modi government face sedition charges

Associated Press  

NEW DELHI — Sharjeel Imam was a little-known research scholar and a student activist until Indian police launched a manhunt across five states to nab him for a protest speech he gave calling for a month-long road blockade in the county’s northeast. In the wake of his speech, some leaders of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party labeled Imam …

JNU Sedition Case : Delhi Govt Grants Sanction To Prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar And 2 Others
4 years, 10 months ago

JNU Sedition Case : Delhi Govt Grants Sanction To Prosecute Kanhaiya Kumar And 2 Others

Live Law  

In a significant development, the Delhi Government on Friday night granted sanction to prosecute former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students Union leader Kanhaiya Kumar and two others in a case of alleged sedition for raising anti-national slogans during a protest march in JNU during February 2016.The Delhi police had submitted chargesheet in the case in January 2019, nearly three years after. …

How the sedition law has become a weapon to muzzle dissent
4 years, 10 months ago

How the sedition law has become a weapon to muzzle dissent

India Today  

A week is fast becoming a long time without a sedition case being slapped on one pretext or another on Indian citizens. Although the sedition law, Section 124A, is an archaic one enshrined in the antiquated Indian Penal Code, the National Crime Records Bureau began recording data on this only in 2014. "Neither the sedition law, much less any other …

Nalini Balakumar's 'Free Kashmir' placard not an act of sedition; archaic law has no place in 21st Century India
4 years, 11 months ago

Nalini Balakumar's 'Free Kashmir' placard not an act of sedition; archaic law has no place in 21st Century India

Firstpost  

The Mysore Bar Association passed a resolution this week announcing that none of its members will represent the journalist student, Nalini Balakumar. She is currently facing sedition charges for holding a ‘Free Kashmir’ placard during a protest organised earlier this month, by the Dalit Students’ Association and Mysore University Research Students Association, in Mysuru. At the outset, the association’s resolution …

Jharkhand Police Drops Sedition Charge Against Anti-CAA Protesters; SP Seeks Explanation From Investigating Officer
5 years ago

Jharkhand Police Drops Sedition Charge Against Anti-CAA Protesters; SP Seeks Explanation From Investigating Officer

Live Law  

On Wednesday, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren took to Twitter to announce that steps had been taken to obliterate the charge of sedition, invoked against 3,000 people in Dhanbad district for participating in anti-CAA protests. "In Dhanbad, directions have been issued to scrap the charge of sedition imposed on 3000 people forthwith and proper action has been recommended against the guilty …

The widening fissure in India’s rule of law
5 years ago

The widening fissure in India’s rule of law

The Hindu  

Last month, the news website Scroll revealed that more than 10,000 people in the Khunti district of Jharkhand had been chargesheeted by the police for sedition. The first information reports that follow allege that the police were attacked with “sticks and traditional weapons” ; but additionally, the FIRs also state that the leaders of the movement have been “misleading the …

Day after closure of sedition case against 49 celebs, Bihar lawyer files protest petition, claims cops acted ‘under political pressure’
5 years, 3 months ago

Day after closure of sedition case against 49 celebs, Bihar lawyer files protest petition, claims cops acted ‘under political pressure’

Firstpost  

After the Bihar police ordered closure of the sedition case filed against 49 personalities, who had signed an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over rising incidents of mob lynching, the complainant on Thursday filed a ‘protest petition’ against the police Muzaffarpur: After the Bihar police ordered closure of the sedition case filed against 49 personalities, who had signed …

Protesting sedition charge against peers, TM Krishna, Romila Thapar among 180 signees on open letter to PM Modi
5 years, 3 months ago

Protesting sedition charge against peers, TM Krishna, Romila Thapar among 180 signees on open letter to PM Modi

Firstpost  

Among the 180 signatories are TM Krishna, Ranjit Hoskote, Romila Thapar, Mallika Sarabhai and Naseeruddin Shah, whose letter reads: ‘More of us will speak every day. Around 180 members of the art and culture community including TM Krishna, Jerry Pinto, Ranjit Hoskote, Romila Thapar, Mallika Sarabhai and Naseeruddin Shah wrote an open letter to Narendra Modi, condemning the sedition charges …

Activists, theatre artists in Jaipur protest over sedition case against 49 celebrities for open letter to Narendra Modi
5 years, 3 months ago

Activists, theatre artists in Jaipur protest over sedition case against 49 celebrities for open letter to Narendra Modi

Firstpost  

Activists condemned the filing of the sedition case against celebrities like Aparna Sen, Adoor Gopalakrishnan, Ramchandra Guha, Mani Ratnam, Anurag Kashyap and Revathi Jaipur: Activists, theatre artists and filmmakers staged a protest in the Pink city on Monday over registration of a sedition case against 49 celebrities after they had expressed concern over rising incidents of mob lynching in an …

‘Pure Harassment’: Aparna Sen, Benegal React to Sedition Charges
5 years, 3 months ago

‘Pure Harassment’: Aparna Sen, Benegal React to Sedition Charges

The Quint  

Filmmakers Aparna Sen, Shyam Benegal and Adoor Gopalakrishnan have expressed disappointment after a Muzaffarpur court ordered an FIR for sedition to be lodged against them and the other celebrities who wrote an open letter to PM Modi regarding the growing incidents of mob lynching, police said. The case was lodged after Chief Judicial Magistrate Surya Kant Tiwari passed an order …

Sedition Against Tribals For FB Posts : SC Issues Notice On Plea Against Jharkhand HC Order Refusing To Quash FIR
5 years, 3 months ago

Sedition Against Tribals For FB Posts : SC Issues Notice On Plea Against Jharkhand HC Order Refusing To Quash FIR

Live Law  

The Supreme Court has issued notice on a petition challenging the judgment of Jharkhand High Court which declined to quash an FIR for sedition registered against four Adivasi activists for allegedly inciting violence by making Facebook posts supporting 'Pathalgadi' movement of Munda tribal communityThe bench comprising Justices Nageswara Rao and Hemant Gupta issued notice after hearing. The Supreme Court has …

Jharkhand HC Finds Prima Facie Case Of Sedition Against Tribals Who Supported 'Pathalgadi' Movement In Facebook [Read Judgment]
5 years, 5 months ago

Jharkhand HC Finds Prima Facie Case Of Sedition Against Tribals Who Supported 'Pathalgadi' Movement In Facebook [Read Judgment]

Live Law  

The High Court of Jharkhand has refused to quash a First Information Report registered against four members of tribal community for allegedly posting seditious posts in Facebook supporting 'Pathalgadi' movement of Munda tribal community.The single bench of Justice Rongon Mukhopadhay observed that prima facie case of sedition and waging war against India was made out against the four petitioners. The …

Congress manifesto promises to do away with British-era sedition law
5 years, 9 months ago

Congress manifesto promises to do away with British-era sedition law

India Today  

Congress has promised to review and amend a host of laws, rules and regulations and among them is the contentious British-era law of Section 124A of IPC that defines sedition. Under the rules, laws and regulations section in the manifesto, Congress states, Omit Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code that has been misused and, in any event, has become …

Delhi court to hear 2016 sedition case against Kanhaiya Kumar and others despite absence of govt sanction for prosecution
5 years, 10 months ago

Delhi court to hear 2016 sedition case against Kanhaiya Kumar and others despite absence of govt sanction for prosecution

Firstpost  

A Delhi court said it will go ahead with the hearing of the sedition case against Kanhaiya Kumar, others even if the Delhi government doesn’t give its sanction New Delhi: A Delhi court Thursday said it will go ahead with the hearing of the 2016 sedition case against former JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar and others even if the …

AMU sedition case shows Indians are quick to get offended, makes compelling case for deletion of provision
5 years, 10 months ago

AMU sedition case shows Indians are quick to get offended, makes compelling case for deletion of provision

Firstpost  

Earlier this week, around 14 office bearers of the Aligarh Muslim University Students Union, both present and past, saw their names published in a First Information Report registered by the Uttar Pradesh Police. The earliest reported case involving the offence of sedition, as available on a widely used online legal database, is the case of Emperor v. Bhaskar Balvant Bopatkar, …

Muffled voices
5 years, 11 months ago

Muffled voices

The Hindu  

T he space for dissent in Tamil Nadu, a supposedly progressive State, has shrunk to a significant extent. Early morning intrusions and late night arrests from our homes and fields are making Tamil Nadu an authoritarian State.” Draconian laws like the Unlawful Activities Act, the Goondas’ Act and Section 153 of the Indian Penal Code, which allow peremptory detention, come …

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