Mahabahu Desk
Law and Justice Minister of India Kiren Rijiju told the Lok Sabha on Friday (10th December, 2021) that the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has no proposal under consideration to scrap Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) that deals with sedition.
Rijiju also informed the House that “the question of law” regarding Section 124A is pending for adjudication before the Supreme Court.
Section 124A of the IPC says, “Whoever by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards, the Government established by law in [India], shall be punished with [imprisonment for life], to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine.”
Rijiju was responding to a question from All India United Democratic Front (AIUDF) member from Assam, Badruddin Ajmal, who asked whether the Supreme Court had recently termed the sedition law as colonial and made an observation that it is being misused and if the court has directed the Union Government to submit its response on the necessity and validity of this law. “No such observations have been found in any judgment or order delivered by the Hon’ble Supreme Court of India,” Rijiju said.