Freedom from Sedition

Seventy-four years after Independence, the time has come for us to seriously ask whether the law of sedition in India needs to be reconsidered. According to the National Crime Records Bureau, in 2019, only 3.3% of sedition cases culminated in a conviction. This conviction rate is negligible in contrast to other offences under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) like murder (41.9%) and cheating (22.8%). The number of sedition cases registered is microscopic – in 2019, there were only 229 such cases pending investigation as against 2.84 lakh cases of forgery, cheating and fraud. However, the fear that the police might arrest you on trumped up charges of sedition if you criticize the government serves as a serious fetter on the fundamental right to free speech and expression. In 2019, some 96 people were arrested for sedition, many of whom might have been opponents of the government and, statistically speaking, most of whom will eventually be acquitted. Parliamentarians must consider some pressing amendments to the sedition law. Supreme Court sends strong message to government.