Terming Centre’s move to reconsider the provisions of the ‘obsolete’ sedition law in the Supreme Court as “bold,” Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday revealed that the direction had come from Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The government will take into consideration the views of all stakeholders, including members of the civil society, in order to ensure the sovereignty and integrity of the state while reviewing several provisions under Section 124A (Sedition) of the IPC, Rijiju further added.
“Since directions have come from the prime minister, since we are doing it (re-examining and re-considering sedition law provisions), we have told the court (Supreme Court) through an affidavit, court may not get involved,” he said.
Rijiju told reporters that PM Modi, while issuing the direction, clearly stated that civil rights, liberties and human rights need to be upheld.
“The government will reconsider and change the provisions as per the need of the present time. Because there are lots of views coming up,” Rijiju said on the sedition law.
The decision to review the law was a departure from the government’s earlier stand of refusing to entertain any opinion against the sedition law. The Centre on Saturday defended the colonial era law and had urged the Supreme Court to dismiss any plea challenging the law.
The sedition law in India has been in the news constantly, especially since 2016. As many activists and journalists criticised this rule for curbing their fundamental rights of freedom of speech and expression, the conviction rate of these cases were low as it stood at 33.3% in 2020; 3.3% in 2019; 15.4% in 2018; 16.7% in 2017 and 33.3% in 2016. Author Arundhati Roy, environmental activist Disha Ravi, journalist Siddique Kapan, activists Umar Khalid, Sharjeel Imam, Devangana Kalita, Natasha Narwal, Asif Iqbal Tanha, Gulfisha Khatoon, Ishrat Jahan, Safoora Zargar and Meeran Haider are the notable faces that have been charged under sedition. Many amongst the above mentioned names were slapped with sedition charges over their participation in anti-CAA and NRC protests that had swept the nation back in 2019-2020.