HC grants bail to youth who didn’t stand up during national anthem
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Kochi: The High Court on Monday granted conditional bail to Salman, a Muslim youth, who was arrested because he did not stand up during the national anthem in a movie theatre last month.
Police arrested Salman from his house late in the night on August 20.
He was charged under section 124 A of the IPC (sedition) for allegedly “sitting and hooting” when the national anthem was being played at a movie theatre in Thiruvananthapuram.
He was also charged under section 66 A of the IT Act for allegedly posting a derogatory comment about the national flag on Facebook.
While the other accused persons in the case were given bail earlier, Salman, 25, remained in jail.
Several activists and human rights groups like Amnesty International India had protested against charging the youth under sedition law.
“A criminal charge for such conduct, even if some might regard it as offensive, is completely unwarranted. Nobody should have to go to prison merely because they are accused of causing offence. The case against Salman should be dropped and he must be released. Indian laws on sedition and online free speech do not meet international human rights standards on freedom of expression. These laws must be repealed,” Shailesh Rai, programmes director at Amnesty International India had said.