Expressing concerns over the "misuse" of the sedition law, the Supreme Court today asked the central government why the law used to 'silence' people like Mahatma Gandhi during British colonial rule is not being done away with.
After the apex court's remark, Rahul Gandhi tweeted in support of this recommendation. "We welcome this observation by the Supreme Court," Rahul Gandhi's Tweet mentioned.
A bench comprising Chief Justice NV Ramana, Justice AS Bopanna, and Justice Hrishikesh Roy today considered the petitions of a former Major General and the Editors Guild of India challenging the constitutional validity of Section 124A (Sedition) of the Indian Penal Code, saying the main concern was the 'abuse of law.'
The bench issued a notice to the Centre in the matter. The Chief Justice remarked, "the ruling party in a state imposes this clause on its opponents. Section 66A of the Information Technology Act was also being misused in a similar manner. Even after this law was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court, the police have been arresting people. The section of sedition is also imposed in a way that someone can be harassed. Most of the people are later acquitted. However, there is no accountability on the police officer who has wrongly imposed the section."
The Chief Justice further said, "it is like a carpenter cutting down the entire forest after being given a saw to cut a piece of wood. The government is abolishing many old laws. Why has the sedition law gone unaddressed?"
Attorney General KK Venugopal agreed with the court's concern and said:"The misuse of this law should certainly be stopped. It needs to be restricted to matters of national security or direct injury to the security of democratic institutions."