JOIN USThe rights groups are to collect one lakh signatures in support of the demand to be sent to the President of India and the Parliament.
Revealing it to Deccan Herald, senior lawyer and President of Delhi PUCL N D Pancholi said, the demand also include repeal of the Armed Forces Special Powers Act (1958) and the Disturbed Areas Act, Prevention of Unlawful Activities (1967).
These laws are also being used to suppress popular protests. “These laws are against the fundamental rights given by the Constitution,” said Pancholi.
The meeting of rights groups held last week was attended by eminent jurists and rights groups activists including former chief justice of Delhi High Court Justice AP Shah, Justice Rajendra Sachar and Dr Binayak Sen.
“The signature campaign will highlight irrelevance of the sedition law which was formulated to suppress the voice of the people during the British rule. The British government used this law against people like Lokmanya Tilak and Mahatma Gandhi. Now this law is being used against peaceful activists like Binayak Sen. Though, the Armed Forces Special Powers Act and Prevention of Unlawful Activities were enacted, after independence they also serve the same purpose, said Pancholi.