Witoubou Newmai
As there has been upswing in the number of sedition cases in India in recent times, it is not anymore alright to ‘express’ or ‘condemn’ and yet remain alright. To what end, we really are not sure at the moment, as there are already clear symptoms of the “method in the madness” out there, which are extremely adverse to the democratic principles.
Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) was introduced by the British colonial government in 1870... It states, “Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine.”
In an interview with India’s premier magazine, Frontline, Anushka Singh, who is a sedition law expert, says that, historically, India is not a special case to be singled out. She says that “all common law systems (around the world) have had sedition laws more or less drawn from the English Common Law offence of sedition.” However, Singh pointed out by saying, “What is unique about India is the journey of sedition alongside the advancement of democracy in contemporary times,” when, by and large “in the 20th century, the law of sedition in other liberal democracies began to fall into disuse after judiciaries started reading down the law.”
As there are symptoms of the method employment prevalent in the midst of the present ‘madness’, they speak of the presence of ‘method’, if not that of the case of “drunk in power” situation best described by John Emerich Edward Dalberg-Acton. According to the English Catholic historian, "Power tends to corrupt, and absolute power corrupts absolutely.” But it is unlikely of the latter case as the symptoms say so.
According to the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) as reported in the media, the rise of the number of sedition cases registered has risen remarkably since 2014. “One cannot be faulted for interring that the upswing in the number of sedition cases registered can be attributed to the rising tide of intolerance, promoted and encouraged by the Narendra Modi government at the Centre since it came to power in May, 2014,” writes journalist V. Venkatesan in Frontline magazine. The journalists also says that “the power that be, therefore, consider the sedition law a political tool to achieve a chilling effect in order to discourage people from expressing dissent, which is considered by the Supreme Court as a safety valve of democracy”.
These grotesque affairs can be best described as authorities controlling life to the extreme.
