Supreme Court: Sedition Law ‘Colonial’, Is It Needed After 75 Years Of Independence, Top Court Asks Centre

Supreme Court on July 15 described the British-era sedition law as "colonial" and asked whether it was "still necessary after 75 years of Independence". The law is a serious threat to the functioning of institutions and holds "enormous power" for misuse. The court said it would examine the validity of the sedition law and asked the Centre to respond to a former army officer's petition that says the law causes a "chilling effect" on speech and is an unreasonable restriction on free expression, a fundamental right.

The court said several petitions have challenged the sedition law and all will be heard together. "Our concern is misuse of the law and no accountability of the executive," Chief Justice NV Ramana added. The Supreme Court called the law "a serious threat" to the functioning of institutions. “There is enormous power of misuse. We can compare it to the carpenter, instead of cutting wood, cutting the forest itself. That is the effect of this law,” Chief Justice NV Ramana said. He also said there was "minimal conviction or very low rate of conviction" in the history of the law. Watch the video to know more.