"Situation From Kashmir To Kerala...": Law Panel Chief On Sedition Law
NDTV
Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi said that the Law Commission has not made any recommendation for enhancement of punishment "as such".
Amid a clamour for the colonial-era sedition law to be repealed, Law Commission chairman Justice Ritu Raj Awasthi said on Tuesday it is an important tool to safeguard the "safety and integrity of India" given the situation in many parts of the country, from Kashmir to Kerala and Punjab to the North-East.
Defending the panel's recommendation to retain the law, which is at present under abeyance following directions of the Supreme Court issued in May last year, he said enough safeguards have been proposed to prevent its misuse.
In an exclusive interview, he told PTI that special laws such as the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act and the National Security Act operate in different fields and do not cover the offence of sedition and therefore, the specific law on sedition needed to be there too.
Justice Awasthi asserted that while considering the usage of the law on sedition the panel found that "the present situation right from Kashmir to Kerala and Punjab to the North-East is such that the law on sedition is necessary to safeguard the unity and integrity of India".
