Union Law Minister Kiren Rijiju on Monday told news agency ANI that Prime Minister Narendra Modi asked him to re-examine and reconsider the provision of sedition law. He also said that PM urged to remove obsolete sedition law.

In an interview with ANI, the law minister said ‘The government will suitably take into account views of the stakeholders and ensure that the sovereignty and integrity of the nation are preserved while re-examining and re-considering the law on sedition.’

On Monday the union government told the Supreme Court that they will be reconsidering and re-examining the sedition law. In the said affidavit, the government expressed that they will suitably take into account the views of the stakeholders and ensure that the sovereignty and integrity of the nation are preserved while re-examining and re-considering the law of Sedition.

The minister further said that ‘PM Modi expressed his clear and unequivocal views in favor of protection of civil liberties, respect for human rights and giving meaning to constitutional freedoms.’

‘Therefore, the Govt has urged the SC not to invest their precious time in examining the validity of Section 124A of IPC, 1860 and await the exercise of re-consideration of Section 124A to be undertaken by the Government of India,’ he said.

Responding to the re-examine of the law, Ex Law Minister Ashwani Kumar said, ‘Decision to review the sedition law will be leading to a repeal of this law. And in the process, the SC is not divested of the opportunity to determine the constitutional validity of this archaic & colonial law. This law has no place in free India.’

He further added, ‘The way sedition law has been abused over the years, particularly in last months and recent years is compelling our govt in favor of the repeal of the law...Meanwhile, the SC is not obligated to stay in its process, and can continue to hear arguments.’

To which the current law minister replied that this government doesn’t believe in misusing this law or any provisions of the law. ‘During our time these provisions (of Section 124A of IPC) were invoked only when a particular act is in a way threatening the integrity & sovereignty & tried to destabilize the govt, in that condition only provisions are invoked,’ he added.

The law of sedition hangs by a thin thread, as it’s blurry to decide what exactly might be seditious. In a recent example, the Rana couple in Maharashtra was slapped with sedition for just attempting to sing Hanuman Chalisa in front of a private residence of the Maharashtra CM. While many cases of sedition were filed after people raised anti-India slogans. Do we really need ‘Sedition law’ after 75 years of Independence?