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Centre seeks another week from Supreme Court to file reply on challenges to sedition law

The court had earlier said no adjournment would be granted in the matter, which has been pending for more than a year
Last Updated 04 May 2022, 13:16 IST

A day before the Supreme Court is set to examine validity of sedition law, the Union government on Wednesday sought another week's time to clarify its stand on continuity of Section 124A of the IPC, which carries life imprisonment as the maximum sentence.

After seeking one day's time on Sunday, the Centre filed yet another application seeking additional week's time to file its reply in the batch of petitions, including the one by Bengaluru-based S G Vombatkere.

On April 27, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court the reply on the petitions is almost ready. He then sought two days to finalise it.

In its fresh plea, the Centre said the response awaited the approval from the competent authority.

A bench presided over by Chief Justice N V Ramana has fixed the matter for consideration on Thursday, May 5.

The court had earlier said no adjournment would be granted in the matter, which has been pending for more than a year. The matter was last heard in July, 2021.

Earlier, the top court had expressed serious concern over misuse of sedition provision, wondering if the law was needed after about 75 years of independence.

Notably, the top court had in the Kedar Nath Singh case (1962) clarified that only those acts, which involved incitement to violence or violence, constituted a seditious act under Section 124 A of the Indian Penal Code.

The petitioners contended a statute criminalising expression based on unconstitutionally vague definitions of 'disaffection towards government' etc is an unreasonable restriction on the fundamental right to free expression guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution and causes constitutionally impermissible 'chilling effect' on the speech.

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(Published 04 May 2022, 13:16 IST)

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