The Centre informed the Supreme Court that it will re-examine and reassess the sedition statute over a year before the release of the Commission’s findings, with the Ministry of Home Affairs claiming that the move matched the Prime Minister’s views on letting go of colonial baggage.
Source: Jatin Vermau2019s IAS Academy
After receiving this assurance, the top court ordered the federal government and the state governments to stop filing any FIRs under Section 124A and to halt any current investigations.
When rendering decisions in sedition cases, the higher judiciary has frequently fought for civil freedoms. The administration was questioned by the Supreme Court in July 2021 about why it was not removing a colonial-era statute that the British had used to silence Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak. In an effort to muzzle dissenting voices, Section 124A has been used against a number of journalists and activists in recent years.
The position taken by the law panel on this regressive legislation is contrary to the spirit of the Supreme Court’s decisions and judgements. Section 124A should be repealed for the simple reason that strict legislation like the National Security Act and the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act are being used to prosecute activities that attack the State.
Source: NDTV
Its continued existence in the books undermines India’s reputation as a democratic nation and places unjustifiable limitations on the freedom of speech and expression. The sedition statute, which is primarily a weapon the State uses to engage in excess, ought to be repealed before it does further harm to our constitutional system.
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