‘Those booked under Section 124A can approach courts for bail’: Highlights from Supreme Court order on sedition law

The apex court has been hearing petitions challenging the Constitutional validity of the IPC section dealing with sedition, for which the Centre has sought to reexamine the law.

Here are the highlights from Supreme Court’s interim order:

🔴 The court “hopes and expects that central and state governments will restrain from registering any FIR, continuing any investigation or taking any coercive measure by invoking it till the review happens.”

🔴 If any fresh case is registered under Section 124A, affected parties are at liberty to approach concerned courts for relief. “The Courts are requested to examine the reliefs taking into account the present order as well as the clear stand taken by Union of India,” a three-judge bench presided by Chief Justice of India N V Ramana ruled.

🔴 The reliefs granted by courts to accused under the provisions of the law will continue.

🔴 Those already booked under Section 124A of the IPC section and are in jail can approach the courts for bail.

🔴 The court has deferred the hearing of the petitions challenging the Constitutional validity of the pre-colonial law till the third week of July to provide the Centre time to “reconsider and reexamine” the provisions.

In its reply to the apex court Wednesday, the Centre had suggested that FIRs involving Section 124A be registered only if an officer not below the rank of Superintendent of Police is satisfied and records his satisfaction in writing that the offence alleged involves section 124A as analysed by the Supreme Court in the Dua case.\

— with inputs from ENS, agencies