Supreme Court Should Scrap Sedition Law: Ex-Judge Rohinton Fali Nariman
NDTV
Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman on added that India's rank in the Global Law Index is 142 because of the draconian and colonial laws that still exist.
Retired Supreme Court Justice Rohinton Fali Nariman on Sunday said India's sedition law should be struck down by the top court, adding that the colonial decree along with those like the tough anti-terror law UAPA was harmful to the country's democracy.
"I would exhort the Supreme Court to not send sedition law cases pending before it back to Centre. Governments will come and go (but) it is important for the court to use its power and strike down Section 124A and the offensive portion of UAPA. Then citizen here would breathe more freely," said Justice Nariman said while speaking at a function organised by Viswanath Pasayat Memorial Committee.
He added that India's rank in the Global Law Index is 142 because of the draconian and colonial laws that still exist. The sedition law and Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act or UAPA, in particular, have a chilling effect on journalists, he said. "Nobel Peace Prize was given to two journalists from the Philippines. India's rank there was 142... Why? This is more to do with India's bank of colonial laws," he said.