Sedition law being "misused" to fight dissent in India: Activists close ranks, file petition in Supreme Court

Kashmiri families at the Bangaluru event

By A Representative
Following sedition charge slapped on Amnesty India for organizing a debate on human rights violations in Kashmir in Karnataka, India's top activists have begun to close ranks to strongly oppose the sedition law, which they believe involves the misuse of section 124A of the Indian penal Code (IPC) against any form of dissent.
Taking into account what is considered as “persistent persecution of students, journalists and intellectuals involved in social activism”, a petition has been filed in the Supreme Court by top anti-nuclear activist, Dr SP Udayakumar, which argues that sedition charges are “framed with a view to instill fear and to scuttle dissent.”
Pointing out that the sedition law is being “misapplied” in “complete violation of the scope of sedition as laid down by constitution bench judgment of Supreme Court in Kedar nath v State of Bihar [1962 Supp. (2) S.C.R. 769]”, the petition argues that the issue is of “immediate relevance” in the backdrop of the charge being leveled on increasing number of instances.
The petition points out to how the sedition charge was misused against student leaders of the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), including JNU Students Union president Kanhaiya Kumar, by the Delhi police, which is directly under the central government, the petition cites several “more recent” sedition charge on Amnesty India.
Referring to a constitution bench judgment, the petition says, only those acts which involve incitement to violence or violence constitute a seditious act, adding, in the Kedarnath case, “the scope of sedition as a penal offence was laid down” by only for offences which could be qualified as “incitement to violence” or the “tendency or the intention to create public disorder”.
“Those actions which do not involve violence or tendency to create public disorder, such as organization of debates/discussions, drawing of cartoons, criticism of the government etc. do not constitute the offence of sedition”, the petition says.
The petition also seeks direction from the court to make it “compulsory” for the concerned authority to produce a reasoned order from the Director General of Police or the Commissioner of Police, as the case maybe, certifying that the 'seditious act' could lead to incitement of violence or had the tendency create public disorder.
Insisting that only after such certification should an FIR be filed or any arrest made, the petition wants that there should be “a review of all pending sedition cases and criminal complaints of sedition before a Judicial Magistrate.”
Meanwhile, Amnesty, responding to the allegations of sedition made in the context of the Kashmir event organized in Bengaluru on August 13, has said that the charge is “without substance”, adding, the whole purpose of the event was to highlight the voice of families which suffered from human rights violations.
Part of its “Broken Families” campaign, carried out for providing justice to the families which had suffered casualties during violence in the Kashmir aalley, Amnesty said, the event based on “a report published in July 2015 after thorough research documenting the hurdles to justice faced by the families.”
The Bengaluru police has filed a criminal case against Amnesty for organizing the event involving discussions with families from Kashmir, who were featured in a 2015 report, and had traveled to Bengaluru to narrate their personal stories of grief and loss.
A first information report (FIR) was filed on the basis of a complaint filed by the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP),the students' wing of the BJP. The FIR mentions a number of offences including ‘sedition’, ‘unlawful assembly’, ‘rioting’ and ‘promoting enmity’.
“Merely organizing an event to defend constitutional values is now being branded ‘anti-India’ and criminalized,” said Aakar Patel, Executive director, Amnesty International India, adding, “The filing of a complaint against us now, and the registration of a case of sedition, shows a lack of belief in fundamental rights.”

Comments

Modi’s Israel visit strengthened Pakistan’s hand in US–Iran truce: Ex-Indian diplomat

By Jag Jivan M. K. Bhadrakumar , a career diplomat with three decades of service in postings across the former Soviet Union, Pakistan, Iran, Afghanistan, South Korea, Sri Lanka, Germany, and Turkey, has warned that the current truce in the US–Iran war is “fragile and ridden with contradictions.” Writing in his blog India Punchline , Bhadrakumar argues that while Pakistan has emerged as a surprising broker of dialogue, the durability of the ceasefire remains uncertain.

Incarceration of Prof Saibaba 'revives' the question: What is crime, who is criminal?

By Kunal Pant* In 2016, a Supreme Court Judge asked the state of Maharashtra, “Do you want to extract a pound of flesh?” The statement was directed against the state for contesting the bail plea of Delhi University Professor GN Saibaba. Saibaba was arrested in 2014, a justification for which was to prevent him from committing what the police called “anti-national activities.”

Why Indo-Pak relations have been on 'knife’s edge' , hostilities may remain for long

By Utkarsh Bajpai* The past few decades have seen strides being made in all aspects of life – from sticks and stones to weaponry. The extreme case of this phenomenon has been nuclear weapons. The menace caused by nuclear weapons in the past is unforgettable. Images of Hiroshima and Nagasaki from 1945 come to mind, after the United States dropped two atomic bombs on the cities.

Food security? Gujarat govt puts more than 5 lakh ration cards in the 'silent' category

By Pankti Jog* A new statistical report uploaded by the Gujarat government on the national food security portal shows that ensuring food security for the marginalized community is still not a priority of the state. The statistical report, uploaded on December 24, highlights many weaknesses in implementing the National Food Security Act (NFSA) in state.

Manufacturing, services: India's low-skill, middle-skill labour remains underemployed

By Francis Kuriakose* The Indian economy was in a state of deceleration well before Covid-19 made its impact in early 2020. This can be inferred from the declining trends of four important macroeconomic variables that indicate the health of the economy in the last quarter of 2019.

The soundtrack of resistance: How 'Sada Sada Ya Nabi' is fueling the Iran war

By Syed Ali Mujtaba* The Persian track “ Sada Sada Ya Nabi ye ” by Hossein Sotoodeh has taken the world by storm. This viral media has cut across linguistic barriers to achieve cult status, reaching over 10 million views. The electrifying music and passionate rendition by the Iranian singer have resonated across the globe, particularly as the high-intensity military conflict involving Iran entered its second month in March 2026.

Lata Mangeshkar, a Dalit from Devdasi family, 'refused to sing a song' about Ambedkar

By Pramod Ranjan* An artist is known and respected for her art. But she is equally, or even more so known and respected for her social concerns. An artist's social concerns or in other words, her worldview, give a direction and purpose to her art. History remembers only such artists whose social concerns are deep, reasoned and of durable importance. Lata Mangeshkar (28 September 1929 – 6 February 2022) was a celebrated playback singer of the Hindi film industry. She was the uncrowned queen of Indian music for over seven decades. Her popularity was unmatched. Her songs were heard and admired not only in India but also in Pakistan, Bangladesh and many other South Asian countries. In this article, we will focus on her social concerns. Lata lived for 92 long years. Music ran in her blood. Her father also belonged to the world of music. Her two sisters, Asha Bhonsle and Usha Mangeshkar, are well-known singers. Lata might have been born in Indore but the blood of a famous Devdasi family...

'Batteries now cheap enough for solar to meet India's 90% demand': Expert quotes Ember study

By A Representative Shankar Sharma, Power & Climate Policy Analyst, has urged India’s top policymakers to reconsider the financial and ecological implications of the country’s energy transition strategy in light of recent global developments. In a letter dated April 10, 2026, addressed to the Union Ministers of Finance, Power, New & Renewable Energy, Environment, Forest & Climate Change, and the Vice Chair of NITI Aayog, with a copy to the Prime Minister, Sharma highlighted concerns over India’s ambitious plans for coal gasification and the Prototype Fast Breeder Reactor (PFBR).

Health Day ads spark row as NAPi targets Britannia campaign, criticizes celebrity endorsement

By A Representative The advocacy group Nutrition Advocacy in Public Interest (NAPi) has raised concerns over what it describes as misleading advertising of ultra-processed food products (UPFs), particularly those high in sugar, fat and salt, calling for stricter regulations and an end to such promotions across media platforms.

Search This Blog