Page 2 - Sedition Law

Centre tells SC that consultation on re-examining sedition law on last leg

The Centre on Monday informed the Supreme Court that consultation on re-examining sedition law is at an advanced stage

Govt at advanced stage of consultation on sedition law: Centre to SC

The Supreme Court on Monday deferred hearing on a batch of pleas challenging the sedition law after the Centre said it is at an advanced stage of consultation on reexamining the colonial-era penal provision. A bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala noted the submission of Attorney General R Venkataramani that the government has initiated the process to reexamine section 124A of the Indian Penal Code. The bench posted the hearing on the matter in the second week of August. The batch of pleas challenged the constitutional validity of the penal provision. Venkataramani said the consultation process has been at the advance stage and before it goes to the Parliament, it will be shown to him. "Kindly post the matter for further hearing after the Monsoon session of Parliament," he urged the bench. At the outset, senior advocate Gopal Sankaranarayanan urged the bench to constitute a bench of seven judges for adjudicating the issues. The bench said that even if

SC to hear pleas challenging validity of penal law on sedition on Monday

The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear on Monday a batch of pleas, including one filed by the Editors Guild, challenging the validity of the colonial era sedition law. The Centre is expected to apprise the court of the steps taken so far with regard to reviewing the contentious penal provision. On October 31 last year, the top court had extended its May 11 direction putting on hold the sedition law and the consequential registration of FIRs while granting additional time to the government to take "appropriate steps" for reviewing of the provision. According to the apex court's website, a bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justice J B Pardiwala has listed as many as 16 petitions challenging the validity of the law for hearing. The central government, which has to review the provision, on October 31 last year, had told the bench that it be granted some more time as "something may happen in the winter session of Parliament". Attorney General R Venkataramani had said t

India's moment in the sun, financial sector scams and migratory humans

Among the reviews this week was a book on the history of the sedition law, a timely look at an archaic institution that has lived past its use-by date

Sedition, repression and the Constitution

Rohan J Alva's book tracing the history of sedition reads like a potboiler, with unexpected twists and turns

Delhi HC to hear Sharjeel Imam's plea for bail in sedition case on May 4

The Delhi High Court Monday said it will hear on May 4 a plea by JNU student Sharjeel Imam seeking bail in connection with a 2020 communal riots case involving allegations of sedition. The petition, which assails a January 24, 2022 order by the trial court dismissing his bail application, was listed for hearing before a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Vikas Mahajan. The bench fixed the matter for hearing in May as the counsel for one of the parties was not available on Monday. On January 30, the court had sought to know the stand of the city police as to whether Imam's plea for bail could be remanded back to the trial court for adjudication as there was no ground mentioned in the lower court's order for rejecting the relief. The bench had said since section 124A (sedition) of the IPC has been kept in abeyance on the directions of the Supreme Court, it will have to examine the trial court's bail rejection order while keeping in mind the other penal sections applied against ..

Court orders and govt decisions: A look back at criminal justice in 2022

Sedition, bail law, and criminal law reforms--we look at some of the major announcements for criminal justice in India

Delhi riots 2020 case: HC refuses to stay trial against Sharjeel Imam

Rejecting JNU student Sharjeel Imam's plea, the high court here on Monday said that the trial court order refusing to stay its proceedings in a 2020 Northeast Delhi riots case against him involving allegations of sedition was fair. Imam had sought his release for the time being on account of the Supreme Court keeping in abeyance Section 124A (Sedition) of IPC until the issue of its constitutionality is examined. He had also challenged the trial court order refusing to stay the ongoing proceedings in the case. A Delhi High Court bench headed by Justice Mukta Gupta disposed of Imam's appeal for stay and requested the lower court to conclude on a short date the examination of the witnesses on which there is no dispute between the parties. The court deferred till January Imam's plea seeking interim bail. He was arrested in January 2020 for allegedly making an inflammatory speech and then arrested in the riots case in August that year. The court clarified that Imam, who is facing ...

Order putting sedition law on hold to continue, SC grants time to Centre

An interim order putting on hold the contentious sedition law and the consequential registration of FIRs will continue as the Supreme Court granted additional time to the Centre on Monday to take "appropriate steps" with regard to the reviewing of the colonial-era provision. A bench of Chief Justice Uday Umesh Lalit and justices S Ravindra Bhat and Bela M Trivedi was told by Attorney General R Venkataramani that some more time be granted to the Centre as "something may happen in the winter session of Parliament". The topmost law officer said the issue has been under consideration of the authorities concerned and moreover, there was "no reason to worry" in view of the May 11 interim order, which had put the use of the provision on hold. "Mr R Venkataramani, the attorney general, submits that in terms of the directions issued by this court in order dated May 11, 2022, the matter is still engaging the attention of the relevant authorities. He submits that some additional time be grante

Delhi Court grants bail to JNU student Sharjeel Imam in 2019 sedition case

A Delhi court on Friday granted bail to former JNU student Sharjeel Imam in a sedition case in which he was accused of instigating the Jamia riots here in 2019. Additional Sessions Judge Anuj Agrawal granted him relief in the matter. A detailed order from the court is awaited. In the New Friends Colony case, Imam was arrested for instigating and abetting the Jamia riots, due to his seditious speech delivered on December 13, 2019. During the investigation, police invoked sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 A IPC (promoting enmity between classes) against him. However, Imam, who is in judicial custody since January 2020, will continue to remain in jail as he is yet to secure bail in the Delhi riots conspiracy case.

Assam reported highest number of sedition cases in 2021, Haryana second

Assam was followed by Haryana with 42 cases reported in the last eight years. Jharkhand and Karnataka followed Haryana with 40 and 38 cases respectively

As long as a convenient law exists, sedition will be misused: Sanjay Hegde

'Efforts to curtail misuse (of sedition law) have largely failed in the face of administrative bull-headedness'

What is sedition law?

A debate to scrap the British-era sedition law is raging in the corridors of the Supreme Court of India. But what is the sedition law? Why do experts believe that it has been misused since inception?

Law Minister Riijiu invokes Lakshman Rekha as SC puts sedition law on hold

Rijiju had said he feels that it is a "bold" step taken by the government and that making laws is the government's responsibility.

Supreme Court puts sedition law on hold, asks govts not to register cases

SC to hear pleas challenging validity of the sedition provisions in July

Sedition cases decline but remain higher than 2015, 2016: An analysis

Conviction rate almost unchanged; charge sheet filed in less than 50% cases in most years

IPC Section 124A and the controversy around sedition law: Explained

Beyond the sedition law

The IPC alone offers a bouquet of choices to suppress freedom of expression

Legal experts term SC order to put on hold sedition law as 'historic'

Legal experts Wednesday termed "historic" the Supreme Court order to put on hold the "archaic" colonial-era penal law on sedition till it is reexamined by an appropriate government forum.

Pragmatic decision

All draconian laws must be reviewed