Sedition
Sedition law colonial, why don't you take it off the statute book? SC asks Centre
New Delhi/IBNS: The Supreme Court on Thursday questioned the central government why it does not drop the "colonial" sedition law, which it feels is enormously "misused", media reports said.
Chief Justice NV Ramana said as quoted by NDTV, "The sedition law is a colonial law. Do we still need the law in our country after 75 years of Independence."
The CJI has questioned the Centre why it is not taking it off the statute book while it has done the same with many others.
A three-judge bench headed by the CJI said, "There is enormous misuse. The use of sedition is like giving a saw to the carpenter to cut a piece of wood and he uses it to cut the entire forest itself. That is the effect of this law."
"If a police officer wants to fix anybody in a village for something, he can use Section 124 A... People are scared," it added.
The court has said it would examine the law and asked the Centre to respond to the petition filed by former Army officer Major-General (Retd) SG Vombatkere, who says the law is an unreasonable restriction on free expression.
"Our concern is misuse of the law and no accountability of the executive," the CJI told Attorney General KK Venugopal, who has suggested the retention of the law with "guidelines".
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