'Is Sedition Law still needed'? Supreme Court asks Centre
New Delhi: A Supreme Court Bench led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) N.V. Ramana asked the Centre if Sedition Law was still required to exist after 75 years of independence.
While hearing a plea challenging the constitutional validity of the Sedition Law, the apex court told the Centre that it is a colonial law and was used against freedom fighters.
"Sedition law is a colonial law and was used by the British and to suppress freedom. It was used against Mahatma Gandhi, Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Is this law still needed after 75 yrs of independence?," Supreme Court told Attorney General K.K. Venugopal.
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"The dispute is it is a colonial law, the very same law was used by the British to silence Gandhi," said CJI Ramana.
"Our concern is misuse of the law and no accountability of the executive," the Chief Justice added.
The apex court is examining the petition filed by a retired Army General who sought a relook into the validity of the sedition law. The petition appealed that 60-year-old judgment of the court helped sedition survive in the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
