The Supreme Court on Wednesday dismissed a plea by imposing a cost of Rs 50,000 on a petitioner who had moved court against former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah for making a statement on the scrapping of Article 370, while stating that expression of views which are dissent and different from the opinion of the government cannot be termed seditious.
The Supreme Court imposed the fine after the petitioner failed to substantiate his allegations against the National Conference leader Farooq Abdullah that he sought the help of China and Pakistan against India on Article 370.
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The Apex Court said the expression of opinions which are different from the opinion of the government cannot be called seditious.
A two-judge bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Hemant Gupta was hearing the PIL filed by Rajat Sharma seeking directions to the Centre and Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir to take action against Farooq Abdullah.