'Was It Removed To...': Sanjay Raut Says Centre Didn't Invoke Sedition Against 'Honeytrapped' DRDO Scientist

Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut questioned why the Centre did not invoke the Sedition against 'honeytrapped' DRDO scientist Pradeep Kurulkar in an espionage case.

Uddhav Sena MP Sanjay Raut.

Source : PTI

Shiv Sena (Uddhav Thackeray) leader Sanya Raut on Saturday took a jibe at the Centre over the proposal to end the Sedition law. Raut referred to the DRDO scientist Pradeep Kurulkar and said that he is a hardcore 'RSS worker' and that the Centre did not invoke sedition law against him. The Uddhav Sena MP asked if the proposal to abolish Sedition completely was brought to save Kurulkar. The Pune-based scientist made headlines after he was arrested for sharing crucial defence secrets with a Pakistani agent through alleged 'honeytrapping'. This comes a day after Union Home Minister Amit Shah tabled three new bills in the Lok Sabha to overhaul country's

"You didn't invoke sedition law against Pune-based scientist Pradeep Kurulkar who sold defence secrets to Pakistan and is a hardcore worker of RSS. Was sedition law removed just to save him?", Raut said.

#WATCH | "You didn't invoke sedition law against Pune based scientist Pradeep Kurulkar who sold defence secrets to Pakistan and is a hardcore worker of RSS. Was sedition law removed just to save him ?": Uddhav Thackeray Faction MP Sanjay Raut pic.twitter.com/ZobizZFAiy

— ANI (@ANI) August 12, 2023

While speaking in Parliament, Shah said that the sedition law will be abolished by the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Act (now tabled as a Bill), 2023.

He added, "Under this, we are repealing laws like sedition. We have set the goal that the conviction ratio has to be taken above 90%. That is why, we have brought an important provision that the sections that provide for seven years or longer jail term, under all those cases forensic team's visit to the crime scene will be made compulsory."

Notably, the Centre on Friday moved three bills to change "colonial-era" criminal laws. The three bills that will replace Indian Penal Code, Criminal Procedure Act and Indian Evidence Act are Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha and Bharatiya Sakshya, respectively.

The frequency of sedition cases documented across the country surged by over 55 per cent, escalating from 47 cases in 2014 to 73 cases in 2020.