This Article is From Jul 15, 2021

"Used By British To Silence Gandhi": 5 Top Court Quotes On Sedition Law

A three-judge bench headed by the Chief Justice likened Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code on sedition to "a saw" used to cut a forest instead of a piece of wood.

'Used By British To Silence Gandhi': 5 Top Court Quotes On Sedition Law

Sedition law is a serious threat to the functioning of institutions, Chief Justice NV Ramana said. (File)

New Delhi: The Supreme Court today questioned the sedition law, calling it "colonial" as it observed that the British-era law holds "enormous power" for misuse. The bench also asked whether it was "still necessary after 75 years of Independence".

Here are 5 top court quotes on sedition law:

  1. Chief Justice NV Ramana said, "Dispute is it is colonial law, very same law was used by the British to silence (Mahatma) Gandhi. Is the law still necessary in our country after 75 years of Independence?"

  2. "Our concern is misuse of the law and no accountability of the executive. If you go see the history of charging of this question, there is minimal conviction and conviction rate is low," Chief Justice told the Attorney General KK Venugopal.

  3. "We are not blaming any state or government, but look at how Section 66A of the Information Technology Act is continuing to be used, how many unfortunate people have suffered and there is no accountability for this...," the Chief Justice said.

  4. "This is like if a police officer wants to fix anybody in a village for something, he can use Section 124A... People are scared," the bench said.

  5. Comparing the law to a carpenter, the Chief Justice said, "There is enormous misuse. Use of sedition is like giving a saw to the carpenter to cut a piece of wood and he uses it to cut the entire forest itself".



Post a comment
.