Press Release
New Delhi
11th May 2022
Welfare Party of India appreciated the Hon Supreme Court for staying the draconian sedition law and called it a landmark order.
Dr SQR Ilyas, National President of Welfare Party of India welcomed the order of the Supreme Court to stay on all the pending sedition cases and for advising the police and administration to not use this section of the law until the Centre finishes its review.
Dr Ilyas said this law has been grossly misused and is a non-bailable offence and in recent times, there has been an increase in the instances in which sedition charges were pressed against intellectuals, human rights activists, academics, students, journalists and muslim citizens.
He said this draconian law is a 162 year old colonial law incorporated in section 124A of IPC, was drafted by the British in 1870 to suppress the colonial subjects in India, it is high time to repeal this outdated colonial law which the British used to silence freedom fighters and suppress the freedom movement and demanded that other draconian laws like UAPA and AFSPA should also be uniformly repealed pan India.
Dr Ilyas appreciated Prime Minister Narendra Modi for expressing unequivocal views to protect civil liberties, and respect human rights and for stating that sedition law is outdated colonial law should have no place in India and requested the centre not just to review it but also repeal it and ensure that justice prevails equally to all the citizens of this great nation irrespective of their caste, class, religion and political affiliation.
He concluded by pointing out that there are horrendous example of authoritarian government stifling dissent on the garb of sedition and pointed out that there are 800 cases of sedition and 13000 are in jail in our country, will they all be freed on bail expeditiously as per Apex Court direction or charged under some other sections?
Issued by
Media Coordinator
