The 22nd Law Commission of India’s recommendation to retain sedition as a penal offence and making it more stringent is retrograde move reminiscent of the medieval age. Law Commission recommendations are also contrary to the observations made by the Supreme Court of India when it suspended the operation of Section 124A of the IPC last year.

The law of sedition is a British colonial relic meant to suppress the democratic aspiration of the people of India. Its continuation after independence is undemocratic and suppressing for free speech guaranteed under Article 19 of the Constitution. Abuse of the sedition law is widespread as noted by the Supreme Court itself and it has no place in the lawbooks of a democratic country.

The CPI has long stood for the abolition of sedition law and D. Raja, General Secretary moved a private member’s bill in Rajya Sabha for the abolition of sedition law in 2011 itself. The CPI reiterates its consistent position and stands for the complete repeal of sedition law and reaffirms its support for free speech in a democracy.