Binayak Sen plans campaign against sedition law

Human rights activist Binayak Sen said Sunday that he will soon undertake a nationwide signature campaign to scrap the sedition law under which he was booked in Chattisgarh.

Sen, who is also the vice president of the People's Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), proposes to mobilise at least one million signatures that would be sent to parliament with a demand to repeal section 124 A of the Indian Penal Code.

The archaic colonial era law that Binayak Sen (in picture) and other democratic forces want repealed has been often invoked to stifle democratic dissent against the government

Disclosing this at a seminar on 'Violation of Human rights' here, Sen was very hopeful of getting the "archaic law" scrapped once and for all.

"The sedition law gives unbridled powers to police to book anyone who may raise his voice against injustice; it clearly impedes the freedom of speech and expression, therefore, it is high time that such a law is repealed," Sen said.

Arrested in May 2007 on charges of links with the outlawed Maoists, Sen was convicted by the additional sessions judge of Raipur Dec 24, 2010, for waging war against the state, entering into criminal conspiracy and sedition. The Chhattisgarh High Court Feb 10 rejected Sen's plea seeking the suspension of sentence and bail during the pendency of his appeal.

He was granted bail by the Supreme Court April 15, with the court observing there was no case of sedition against Sen and he was at best a Maoist sympathiser. - IANS

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