The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear two crucial petitions on Monday including the appeals on sedition law after seven months since the court had put the colonial-era penal law on hold and is likely to take a batch of pleas challenging the validity of the 1991 law on religious places, according to the news agency PTI.
Apex court to hear plea challenging the colonial-era penal law
The apex court is scheduled to hear a batch of petitions challenging the colonial-era penal law on Monday when the Centre is likely to apprise it of the developments, if any, made while re-examining the provision, reported news agency PTI.
A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha has listed for hearing as many as 12 petitions, including the one filed by the Editors Guild of India, against the law.
In an unprecedented order, the top court had on May 11 last year kept in abeyance the penal law on sedition till an “appropriate” government forum re-examined it and asked the Centre and states to not register any fresh FIR invoking the offence.
The law on sedition, which provides for maximum jail term of life under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code for creating "disaffection towards the government", was brought into the penal code in 1890, 57 years before Independence and almost 30 years after the IPC came into being.
Top Court likely to hear plea on places of worship
In a separate hearing, the Supreme Court is likely to hear on Monday a series of PILs challenging the validity of certain provisions of a 1991 law which prohibits filing of a lawsuit to reclaim a place of worship or seek a change in its character from what prevailed on August 15, 1947, according to the PTI report.
A bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha has listed as many as six petitions, including those filed by former Rajya Sabha MP Subramanian Swamy, against the provisions of the law.
On November 14 last year, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, had said that a comprehensive affidavit will be filed by the Union government dealing with various facets of the case and sought some more time to ensure that the affidavit is filed after due deliberation at various levels of the government.
“On the request so made, we direct that the counter affidavit be filed on or before 12 December 2022. A copy of the counter affidavit shall be circulated to the counsel for the petitioners and intervenors in all the companion matters. List the Petitions on 9 January 2023,” the bench had ordered on the last date of hearing.