'Provision was abused to stifle free speech': Former A-G Mukul Rohatgi on SC sedition verdict

Former Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi on Wednesday hailed Supreme Court's order on Sedition Law terming it 'bold and historical'.

Former Attorney General of India Mukul Rohatgi on Wednesday hailed Supreme Court's order on Sedition Law terming it 'bold and historical'. "The SC order is bold and historical. The Government's decision to review the law is welcoming. Till reviewal, the section would not be operated. This is fair," said Mukul Rohatgi while speaking to ANI.

According to him, the Sedition Law was suffocating free speech. "This provision was abused constantly to stifle free speech", added the former Attorney General of India. Rohatgi said that the colonial-era sedition law lost all significance in present-day as India is a sovereign nation. "This was introduced 100 years ago by the British to suppress Indians. The idea was no one should be able to overthrow them. It's lost all significance because India is a sovereign nation. Time has come for a re-examination," added Mukul Rohtagi.

He added that he is glad that the Supreme Court and the Government took a stand to re-examine the law. In a historic development, the Supreme Court on Wednesday ordered that Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code which criminalises the offence of sedition be kept in abeyance till the government's exercise of reviewing the law is complete.

A bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli also asked the Central government and States not to register any cases under Section 124A. It added that if such cases are registered in future, the parties are at liberty to approach the court and the court has to expeditiously dispose of the same, the bench added.

The apex court also said that those already booked under Section 124A IPC and are in jail can approach the concerned courts for bail. Allowing the Central government to re-examine and reconsider the provisions of Section 124A, the apex court said that it will be appropriate not to use the provision of law till further re-examination is over.

The bench now posted the hearing of a batch of pleas challenging the Constitutional validity of the sedition law, in July. (ANI)

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