From Kanhaiya Kumar To Activist Disha Ravi: A Look At Past Sedition Cases

The Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that all trials and registration of fresh FIRs for sedition under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code be kept on hold till the Centre reconsiders the provision.

A three-judge bench, in its interim order, directed the Centre and the state governments to desist from taking any coercive steps under Section 124A.  

The bench, comprising Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli, held that if any fresh cases are filed the aggrieved parties may approach the court for relief.

Here we take a look at a few recent controversial sedition cases.   

1) In January 2022, a Delhi court framed sedition charges against Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) student Sharjeel Imam for his speech during the protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) in Delhi. According to Delhi Police, Sharjeel had made speeches at Jamia Millia Islamia and at Aligarh Muslim University. In his speech, Sharjeel had allegedly threatened to cut off Assam and Northeast from the rest of India.  He was even charged under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act.  Sharjeel is in judicial custody since January 2020.
    
2) A 22-year-old climate change activist, Disha Ravi, was charged with sedition after being arrested on February 13 last year in connection with a "toolkit" relating to the farmers' protest. She was granted bail a little over a week after her arrest by a Delhi court which observed, "sedition cannot be invoked to minister to the wounded vanity of the government".

2) Manipur-based journalist Kishorechandra Wangkhem was arrested in September 2020 by police on charges of sedition and promoting enmity between different groups for a social media post in 2018. He had criticised Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) and Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singh in his social media post. He was also charged under the draconian National Security Act (NSA).

3) Former JNU Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar and nine other students, including Umar Khalid, were charged with sedition for allegedly raising anti-India slogan during a protest in the university campus in 2016. A case was registered in February 2016 by Delhi Police under sections 124A and 120B of the IPC.

4) Patidar quota agitation leader Hardik Patel, who has now joined Congress, was charged with sedition after violence broke out at his rally in August 2015. Hardik Patel was arrested and released on bail.

5) Civil rights activist Dr Binayak Sen was sentenced to life imprisonment on charges of sedition by a Chhattisgarh court. Dr Sen was convicted for colluding with Naxals to establish a network to fight with the state. In April 2011, the Supreme Court granted him bail.

6) Writer and activist Arundhati Roy was booked in November 2010 on charges of sedition by Delhi Police for her alleged anti-India speech at a seminar in the national capital.