Supreme Court to hear pleas challenging sedition law on May 10
India Today
The Supreme Court on Thursday said the hearing for petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the sedition law will take place on May 10.
The Supreme Court on Thursday said the hearing for petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the colonial-era law on sedition will take place on May 10.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, had sought more time to file an official response to the petitions. Mehta said he was awaiting a response from the competent authorities.
The three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana and Justices Hima Kohli and Surya Kant then allowed Mehta to file his response by Monday, and fixed May 10 to hear the petitioners. The bench also made it clear that the petitioners would first have to satisfy them with their argument that the petitions need not be referred to a seven-judge bench, and that the present composition of three judges is competent to hear the issue of Section 124A’s constitutional validity.
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Section 124A states that a person commits the crime of sedition, if he/she brings or attempts to bring in hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established according to the law. It prescribes the maximum punishment of life imprisonment.
In July 2021, the CJI asked the Attorney General K K Venugopal to clarify if this law was still needed after 75 years of independence.
Meanwhile, K K Venugopal also told the Supreme Court that guidelines were required from the top court to stop the misuse of the law. The Attorney General cited the example of the arrest of MP Navneet Kaur Rana and her husband MLA Ravi Rana after they announced plans to chant the Hanuman Chalisa outside Maharashtra CM Uddhav Thackeray’s residence.