-PTI The observation came as Advocate Prashant Bhushan, appearing for an NGO, said sedition was a serious offence and the law on it was being grossly misused for stifling dissent. New Delhi: Sedition or defamation cases cannot be slapped on anyone criticising the government, the Supreme Court on Monday said in a clear message. “Someone making a statement to criticise the government does not invoke an offence under sedition or defamation law. We...

-The Hindu Of the 147 cases registered in 2015, 63 were from the region; Assam recorded the highest number. Kolkata: The seven States of the northeast account for about 42 per cent of the total ‘offences against State’ registered in the country in 2015 according to the latest data from the National Crime Records Bureau (NRCB). Across the country, 147 cases were registered in 2015 of which 63 are from the seven northeast...

-Livemint.com NGO Common Cause said in a petition that governments and law enforcement agencies had abused Sedition Laws to gag dissent, suppress freedom of speech and expression and to muzzle critical voices New Delhi: Common Cause, a non-governmental organization, on Wednesday moved the Supreme Court, alleging misuse and misapplication of Sedition Laws by successive governments, leading to routine persecution of students, journalists and intellectuals engaged in social activism. Common Cause said in...

-The Hindu Chennai: The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy organised a panel discussion on ‘Free Speech and Sedition in a Democracy. Focussing on the recent events that unfolded at Jawaharlal Nehru University in New Delhi, The Hindu Centre for Politics and Public Policy organised a panel discussion on ‘Free Speech and Sedition in a Democracy,’ touching upon the impact of Sedition Law on freedom of speech, in Chennai on Thursday. Former...

-Business Standard As many as 47 sedition cases were reported in 2014 across nine states, according to the National Crime Records Bureau The 156-year-old colonial-era Sedition Law, used against arrested Kanhaiya Kumar, president of the students' union, Jawaharlal Nehru University, has been discarded by the UK (where punishment once included chopping ears), South Korea and Indonesia. Kumar was sent to judicial custody for 14 days, amid violence within and outside a Delhi court...