Supreme Court schedules hearing on sedition law on Wednesday
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New Delhi: The Supreme Scheduled the hearing on a batch of petitions that challenged the colonial-era sedition law on Wednesday. The Centre might inform the court on the course about any development while it re-examined the law, PTI reported.
The court is going to hear the matter after holding the law for nearly seven months.
On May 11 last year, the apex made a milestone ruling, deciding to put in abeyance the penal law on sedition till an "appropriate" government forum re-examined it. The court directed the Centre and state governments not to register any new FIR invoking the law.
Twelve petitions against the law were listed by a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice P S Narasimha.
Under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, the law awards a life sentence as the maximum jail term for creating "disaffection towards the government". This was brought into the IPC in 1890, 57 years before Independence.
The law was invoked against freedom fighters, including Bal Gangadhar Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi, during the British raj.
When the law was put on hold by N V Ramana, then CJI ordered to stop proceeding under the sedition law like fresh FIRs, ongoing probes, pending trials etc.
"Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Government established by law in [India], shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine," reads section 124A (sedition) of the IPC.