Aisha Sultana was seeking pre-arrest bail in the FIR registered by Kavaratti Police under Section 124A (sedition) and 153B (acts against national integration) of IPC on the basis of a petition lodged by the BJP’s Lakshadweep unit president C Abdul Khadar Haji.
The Court said, “In conclusion we quash the FIR registered against Vinod Dua. But the Court rejected Dua’s plea for setting up of a high-level committee in each state to examine sedition charges slapped against journalists of 10 year standing.”
On October 6, 2020, the bench of Justices U.U. Lalit and Vineet Saran, had reserved their verdict after hearing arguments for Dua, the Himachal Pradesh government and the complainant in the case.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta had countered: “There is a suo motu case regarding dignified handling of the dead.” Amicus Arora said: “That may be so, the poor are unable to dispose of the dead. Why cannot the state give a ritual semblance to the disposal of the dead?”
Challenging the order of the Additional Session Judge 3, Amitabh Rawat states that all the citizens of the country under the Constitution of India have the right and freedom to protest including the right to oppose any legislation.
Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Aakash Jain passed the order after Disha was produced before him at the end of her five-days police custody remand.