Finally, the Indian government has promised to review Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code. The provisions of this sedition law will be reconsidered, the Center told the Supreme Court on Monday. It reverses last week’s stance when the administration argued that the legality of the clause was long-fixed and had “withstanding the test of time”. A petition was filed in the apex court to quash the law or make it ineffective.
We don’t need to split hairs on the specifics of how “dissent against the government”, as illegal as it is, is different from that against the state, which in turn differs from legitimate criticism made at any level to appreciate it. For that whatever suppresses dissent goes against democracy. As the trials may prove endless, standing in the dock is in itself punitive. This is strange for a country that does well enough to protect itself from conspiracies hatched by individuals. If committing malicious offences, arrest them under other laws. Stray expressions of dissent should not be exposed to the seditious interpretation, a real risk in the time being fueled by a form of hyper-nationalism that often projects communal interests as a nation. There is a dire need of rethinking.