Moily says law outdated, to consult PC

Apr 16, 2011 - Nitin Mahajan |

Age Correspondent

New Delhi

After the Supreme Court granted bail to human rights activist Binayak Sen, Union law and justice minister M. Veerappa Moily on Friday said the country’s sedition laws were “outdated”.

The decision and the law minister’s statement have brought into focus the 140-year-old draconian colonial legacy used by governments across India to stifle dissent.
India’s sedition law, IPC Section 124A, prohibits any words either spoken or written, or any signs or visible representation that can cause “hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection” toward the government. He said, “I will consult the home minister and after that the Law Commission may be asked to revisit laws relating to sedition.”

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