Explained: What Is Section 150, Which Will Replace Sedition Law
NDTV
The Law Commission had recommended that the punishment for sedition be increased from three years in jail to a life term or up to seven years in prison, which has been implemented in the new bill.
The Centre's huge move of completely overhauling criminal laws in India also has a provision for replacing the colonial-era sedition law with Section 150 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with "acts endangering sovereignty, unity and integrity of India".
In June, the Law Commission had strongly backed the sedition law and said it should be retained with changes linked to the circumstances of its use. Repealing Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code would be to "turn a blind eye to the glaring ground realities existing in India", the Commission had said in its report.
Significantly, the Commission had recommended that the punishment for sedition be increased from three years in jail to a life term or up to seven years in prison, which has been implemented in the bill introduced in the Lok Sabha by Home Minister Amit Shah today.
