India Reviewing Controversial Colonial-Era Sedition Law
- India urges top court to defer hearing on validity of the law
- Data shows spike in use of sedition law under Modi government
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The Indian government is re-examining the provisions of the controversial sedition law, setting the stage for a possible dilution of rules, which rights activists say has been used to curb free speech.
It informed the three-judge bench headed by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana that concerns of civil liberties and human rights had prompted a rethink on the law, according to people familiar with the matter, who didn’t wish to be named because the government’s filing in the Supreme Court isn’t public. They were hearing petitions challenging the colonial-era law.