Once Again, Sedition Law Is Used To Muzzle Dissent
Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
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By Sunil Garodia
First publised on 2021-06-12 11:27:18
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Editor-in-Chief of indiacommentary.com. Current Affairs analyst and political commentator.
View all posts by this Author
Even as one bench of the Supreme Court has decided to define the limits of the sedition law and another bench is soon going to examine whether it is unconstitutional, the government is disgustingly charging people under the said law for saying anything that is not liked by the powers that be. The latest to come in the line of fire is a Lakshadweep filmmaker Aisha Sultana who has been charged with sedition and hate speech for speaking her mind.
During a news debate on a regional channel, Aisha had remarked that the Centre had used "bio-weapon" against Lakshadweep and blamed the UT's administrator Praful Patel's decisions as being responsible for the spread of the virus in the archipelago. Patel has been accused by protesters, including Lakshadweep MP Mohammed Faizal, of doing away with quarantine protocols that were a must for people to enter Lakshadweep.
It is sad that the government cannot digest criticism of its policies. There is truth in what Sultana and others are saying. There were very few cases of Covid-19 in Lakshadweep before the quarantine protocols were done away with. Patel has said that he wants to promote tourism in the islands and wants to make it like Maldives. But if such development comes at the cost of people's health and spreads the pandemic in the region, residents will oppose the moves. Instead of listening to them, the administration is trying to suppress the dissenting voices by using draconian laws.
The case against Sultana was filed after a complaint from a BJP leader. But several other leaders of the party have strongly opposed the move and have resigned from the primary membership of the party. They have written to the chief of the party in the UT C Abdul Khader Haji to voice their strong opposition against the move to lodge an FIR against Sultana for sedition.
As this correspondent had written earlier too, the Centre must rein in Praful Patel and must not allow him to go ahead with the unilateral and undemocratic rules that he wants to impose on the islanders. It must also not equate any criticism of government policy with sedition. The FIR against Sultana must be withdrawn.
