Sedition Law Stayed: Time To Throw It Out? - 'Hot Mic' With Nidhi Razdan

Hot Mic with Nidhi Razdan: The Supreme Court's historic decision to put the 162-year-old sedition law on hold till the central government completes the promised exercise to reconsider and re-examine the provision is hugely significant

Hi, This is Hot Mic and I'm Nidhi Razdan.

The Supreme Court's historic decision to put the 162-year-old sedition law on hold till the central government completes the promised exercise to re-examine it is hugely significant. For years, this law has been blatantly misused by governments to target critics as well as other opponents. A law that was first brought in by the British actually to take on the likes of Mahatma Gandhi and Lokmanya Tilak. This means, as per the court order, that the sedition law is now on hold. So, no new sedition cases can be registered while those currently charged under it can approach the courts for immediate bail. So, what exactly is this sedition law and how did it originate?

Section 124A defines sedition as "whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law shall be punished with imprisonment." The sedition law was added to the Indian Penal Code in 1860. The punishment prescribed then was transportation "beyond the seas for the term of his or her natural life." And that was amended to life in prison in 1955. Sedition was used extensively to curb political dissent during the Independence movement. So you had freedom fighters like Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak, Annie Besant, and Maulana Azad who were all charged under it.