New Delhi: The Central government has filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking more time to file its response over the petitions challenging section 124A of the Indian Penal Code(IPC) pertaining to sedition.
The bench led by the Chief Justice of India, NV Ramana, and comprising of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli are seized on the matter and had sought the Union of India's response in the last hearing, issuing notice to it. The court had directed the centre to file a reply by 30th April but the Centre could not saying that the response of the competent authority is pending.
In the earlier hearing the court had questioned the Centre on the necessity of sedition law after 75 years of independence. It had said that it's a British law that was used to silence Mahatma Gandhi and Bal Gangadhar Tilak before the country became independent and now its being misused for punishing those whose views differ.
"Our concern is the misuse of the law and no accountability of the executive," CJI had said.
The plea challenging the sedition law was filed by two journalists Kishorechandra Wangkhemcha and Kanhaiya Lal Shukla who were charged with sedition for their posts on social media. Thereafter other petitioners and intervenors also moved to the top court against the sedition law.
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