Sedition Rules at the Death of Free Speech
By siliconindia   |   Monday, 17 October 2011, 15:14 IST   |    2 Comments
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Bangalore: "I don't have any regrets, those are my views. I realize that those views are the minority views in the country today," said Prashanth Bhushan who called it absurd to term his Kashmir remark anti-national or seditious. Fortunately, Bhushan is not slapped with sedition charges for his comments on the need for a referendum on Kashmir. It's very frustrating to see this increasing level of intolerance to dissent and debate in India and any comments on those sensitive topics often evoke zealous hyper-patriotic anger that results in demands for harsh sedition laws in the country.
Sedition Rules
The debate over the draconian sedition law took the center stage after the attack on Prashanth Bhushan. Internally acclaimed human rights activist Dr Binayak Sen has once again demanded a repeal of this. "Hundreds of innocent people are suffering in prisons under false charges of sedition as the government is trying to use the law to suppress people's movement for their rights", Dr. Sen said. He has been earlier charged with sedition by the Chhattisgarh Government and later, was granted bail by the Supreme Court of India. Writer and columnist Arundhati Roy, Kashmiri hardliner Hurriyat leader Syed Ali Shah Geelani and few others were charged with sedition by Delhi Police in November 2010 for allegedly giving an "anti-India" speech at a seminar titled "Azadi-the Only Way." However, the government had earlier decided not to file any case against them.

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