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Supreme Court Questions Validity Of Sedition Law After 75 Years of Independence

The Supreme Court on Thursday went ahead and questioned the Central government over the utility of the Sedition Law even after 75 years of independence. The bench expressed concerns over the law being misused by the police against people who don’t speak in favor of the government.

Chief Justice Elaborates That The Use Of Sedition Law Needs To Be Examined 

As per the latest reports, a bench headed by Chief Justice N.V Ramana said that the Colonial law was used by the British to silence Mahatma Gandhi and Tilak. He questioned if the law was necessary after 75 years of independence.

Chief Justice told Attorney General K.K Venugopal that he is indicating what he is thinking. The bench further cited the example of the continued usage of Section 66A of the I-T Act, which was quashed. He emphasized the abuse of the law to arrest thousands of people who aired their views.

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Following this, the top court further pointed out that the sedition law is not immune to be misused by the police against the ones who speak against the government.

“It is like you give a saw to a carpenter, he will cut the entire forest. This is the impact of this law”, said the Chief Justice.

He further elaborated that the police officers even in villages areas can invoke sedition law and all these concerns need to be re-examined. He said that there is no accountability for the executing agencies.

Venugopal Emphasizes On Laying Down Parameters 

Speaking to the Chief Justice, the Attorney General said that he understands the concerns expressed by the top court. Following this, he submitted the top court may lay down some fresh guidelines to restrict the use of the sedition law for the protection of the nation and democratic institutions. He further emphasized that there should be parameters laid down instead of taking down the entire law.

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The Supreme Court’s observation comes after the plea was submitted by the Mysuru-based Major General S.G Vombatkere challenged the validity of Section 124A (sedition) of the IPC with a maximum penalty of life imprisonment.