NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will on Wednesday hear two pleas filed by the Editors Guild of India and Major General S G Vombatkere (Retd), challenging the constitutional validity of Section 124A (sedition) of the Indian Penal Code, 1860.
A bench comprising CJI N V Ramana and justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli will hear two writ petitions. The top court had agreed to examine the pleas in July last year and issued notice to the government. At that time, the SC had made critical remarks, asking the Centre why not repeal the Colonial law once used by the British to silence freedom fighters.
The Army veteran’s plea argues IPC Section 124A ultra vires Article 19(1) (a) , read with Articles 14 and 21. “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) and causes constitutionally impermissible ‘chilling effect’ on speech,” it said.Several pleas against the law are pending before SC.