The Supreme Court, in a landmark decision on Wednesday, had put Sedition law on hold until government reviews it.
New Delhi: After Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju’s ‘Lakshman Rekha’ remark over Supreme Court’s order to put controversial Sedition law on hold till government review it, exchange of words were witnessed between BJP and Congress leaders. After the top court’s order on Sedition law, Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju had invoked ‘Lakshman Rekha’. The union minister said that no one should cross their ‘boundary’.
Rijiju while replying to the media just after the top court’s order to pause the controversial law categorically had said that they respect each other. The court should respect government. “Nobody should cross ‘Lakshman Rekha’. We have a clear demarcation of boundary,” the minister had said. He had added that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had directed that the provision of the sedition law be re-examined and reconsidered.
Reacting over Rijiju’s remark, senior Congress leader P Chidambaram tweeted, “The Law Minister of India has no authority to draw any arbitrary Lakshman Rekha He should read Article 13 of the Constitution The Legislature cannot make a law, nor can a law be allowed to remain on the statute book, that violates the Fundamental Rights.”
He further tweeted, “The sedition law, in the view of many legal scholars, violates Articles 19 and 21 of the Constitution All the King’s horses and all the King’s men cannot save that law.”
Replying to the P Chidambaram’s tweet, Rijiju tweeted, “That’s why Nehru Ji brought in the First Amendment and Smt Indira Gandhi made Section 124A a cognisable offence for the first time in India’s history? And during Anna Movement & the other anti-corruption movements citizens were subjected to harassment, intimidation and arrests?”
The Supreme Court, in a landmark decision on Wednesday, had put Sedition law on hold until government reviews it. The Apex Court’s order will impact those who are lodged under jails under the controversial law as they can apply their respective courts for bails.
As per the top court’s decision, all pending cases will be paused while no fresh FIR will be filed under Sedition law. It said that using the provision of law will not be appropriate till government’s review. Hopefully centre and states refrain from filing FIRs under the law or start proceeding till re-examination is over. It further said that people can approach the court if fresh cases are filed.
Notably, Centre on Monday had informed to review the Sedition law. On Wednesday, however, it told before the court that the law should not put on hold till reviews. Central government argued the court that superintendent or above could decide whether a sedition charge should be filed. “There has to be a layer of scrutiny, where a responsible officer is there to scrutinise the gravity of the situation and there of course would be judicial forums,” the government’s lawyer, had said. He had further argued that a law cannot be stayed on the basis of a PIL.
