Independent India, Colonial law!

Annie Besant. Maulana Azad. M. K. Gandhi. Binayak Sen. What do they have in common? They were convicted under Section 124(A) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) or the Sedition Act! This draconian British era legislation "criminalizes the ‘disaffection’ towards the government by words, either spoken or written, or by signs or by visible representations". Unfortunately, this law, introduced in 1860, is still being (ab)used across the country to silence many forms of democratic expression and struggle.

Journalists, human rights activists, political dissenters, public intellectuals and even farmers and tribals are being targetted by this law. Consequently, at a convention organized in May 2011, the People's Union of Civil Liberties (PUCL) National resolved to launch a nation-wide signature campaign to collect a million signatures demanding an immediate repeal of the Sedition Law. The appeal would be presented to the Indian Parliament.

To sign the petition and know more about this antiquated legislation, visit Repeal Sedition Law

Pushpa Achanta