{"id":114457,"date":"2021-06-24T11:19:48","date_gmt":"2021-06-24T05:49:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blog.forumias.com\/?p=114457"},"modified":"2021-06-24T11:19:48","modified_gmt":"2021-06-24T05:49:48","slug":"countering-a-political-act-that-has-a-legal-garb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/countering-a-political-act-that-has-a-legal-garb\/","title":{"rendered":"Countering a political act that has a legal garb"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Synopsis:\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Sedition cases should be charged only when any act either spoken or written creates incitement into violence or social disturbance.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Background<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"62\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Recently, Aisha Sultana, a\u00a0filmmaker\u00a0from Lakshadweep, booked for the alleged offences of sedition and statements\u00a0prejudicial\u00a0to national integrity.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"63\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">She was alleged to have used the word \u2018bioweapon\u2019 in a television discussion while criticising the Lakshadweep Administrator\u2019s actions\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"63\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">However, MS. Sultana\u2019s case is only one among the numerous sedition cases recently registered in the country.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"65\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Earlier, In Lakshadweep, people were booked for sedition cases even for putting up placards or posters against the Prime Minister.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Sedition during British India\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"66\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The offence of sedition was introduced in 1870 under Section\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).\u00a0<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"67\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">In 1922, Mahatma Gandhi, was charged with sedition. He described the provision as \u201cperhaps the prince among the political sections of the IPC designed to suppress the liberty of the citizen.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"68\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Gandhiji, who himself was a lawyer, made two points in his statement during trial.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"o\" data-font=\"Courier New\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"19\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">One, he admitted the charge of preaching disaffection towards the then existing regime.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"o\" data-font=\"Courier New\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"20\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Two, he justified his act and said that it was his duty to do so as it is \u201ca sin to have affection for the system under the British Raj.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"69\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Further, explained\u00a0that\u00a0Affection cannot be manufactured or regulated by law.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"70\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">If one has no affection for a person or system, one should be free to give the fullest expression to his disaffection so long as he does not incite violence.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"71\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">After this, the British Raj used the draconian provision only when they alleged that a speech or a writing resulted in violence, or social disturbance. For example,<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"o\" data-font=\"Courier New\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"21\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Bal Gangadhar Tilak was tried in 1897 on an accusation that the articles in Kesari (Marathi paper owned by him)\u00a0incited\u00a0violence that led to the killing of two British officers. Tilak was convicted and sentenced to undergo rigorous imprisonment for 18 months.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Sedition in Free India: Kedar Nath Singh case<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"72\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Kedar Nath Singh case<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0(1962), the assertion made by Gandhiji in the court was indirectly laid down as the law by the Constitution Bench of the Supreme Court.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"o\" data-font=\"Courier New\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"22\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">In Kedar Nath Singh, the accusation was that Kedar Nath, a Forward Communist Party leader, had asserted his belief in a revolution.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"o\" data-font=\"Courier New\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"23\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">He said that the revolution \u201cin the flames of which the capitalists, zamindars, and the Congress leaders of India\u2026. will be reduced to ashes&#8230;.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"o\" data-font=\"Courier New\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"24\" data-aria-level=\"2\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Court said that \u201ccomments, however strongly worded, expressing dislike of actions of the Government, without exciting violence, would not be\u00a0penal.\u201d<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"73\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Similarly,\u00a0i<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">n Balwant Singh case<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0(1995), slogans for an independent Sikh nation were found to be not\u00a0seditious\u00a0as it did not lead to incitement of\u00a0violence.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"74\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">This proposition was followed consistently, till\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Vinod Dua<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">(2021) case<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">, where the Court said that a journalist cannot be booked for sedition for expressing dissent.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">What is the current situation?<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"75\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Even today, the draconian law of sedition is being used against political opponents essentially as a political act.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"76\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Sedition charges are frequently and intentionally being registered solely based on words spoken, written, or tweeted. For example, Aisha Sultana case.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"77\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">According to the report by the\u00a0<\/span><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">National Crime Records Bureau<\/span><\/b><span data-contrast=\"none\">\u00a0(NCRB), between 2016 and 2019 there was a 160% increase in the registration of sedition cases. However, the conviction rate during this period fell from 33.3% to 3.3%.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"78\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">This can have a chilling effect on people\u2019s movements.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h5><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Way forward<\/span><\/b><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/h5>\n<ul>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"79\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Supreme Court of India and the High Courts should take\u00a0Suo\u00a0Motu\u00a0cognisance\u00a0of the incidents where the state purposefully uses draconian laws to suppress criticism and protest.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li data-leveltext=\"\uf0b7\" data-font=\"Symbol\" data-listid=\"38\" aria-setsize=\"-1\" data-aria-posinset=\"80\" data-aria-level=\"1\"><span data-contrast=\"none\">Such\u00a0Suo\u00a0Motu proceedings would reflect the\u00a0kind of judicial\u00a0activism that our time demands.<\/span><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;134233279&quot;:true,&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">Source:\u00a0<\/span><\/b><a href=\"http:\/\/epaper.thehindu.com\/Home\/ShareArticle?OrgId=GEP8MPV5O.1&amp;imageview=0\"><b><span data-contrast=\"none\">The Hindu<\/span><\/b><\/a><span data-ccp-props=\"{&quot;201341983&quot;:0,&quot;335559739&quot;:160,&quot;335559740&quot;:259}\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Synopsis:\u00a0Sedition cases should be charged only when any act either spoken or written creates incitement into violence or social disturbance.\u00a0 Background\u00a0 Recently, Aisha Sultana, a\u00a0filmmaker\u00a0from Lakshadweep, booked for the alleged offences of sedition and statements\u00a0prejudicial\u00a0to national integrity.\u00a0 She was alleged to have used the word \u2018bioweapon\u2019 in a television discussion while criticising the Lakshadweep Administrator\u2019s&hellip; <a class=\"more-link\" href=\"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/countering-a-political-act-that-has-a-legal-garb\/\">Continue reading <span class=\"screen-reader-text\">Countering a political act that has a legal garb<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":61,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1230,8043,9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-114457","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-9-pm-daily-articles","category-current-affairs-cat","category-public","entry"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","views":{"total":0,"cached_at":"","cached_date":1704829468},"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114457","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/61"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=114457"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/114457\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=114457"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=114457"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/forumias.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=114457"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}