[Marxistindia] Rescind sedition case

[news from the cpi(m)]

October 6, 2019

Press Statement

The Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) has issued  
the following statement:

Rescind the Case of Sedition

The Polit Bureau of the CPI(M) strongly condemns the decision to slap  
sedition cases against forty-nine prominent Indians who have great  
accomplishments in their respective fields for having written a letter  
to the Prime Minister opposing the rising campaigns of hate and  
violence leading to mass lynching.

The CPI(M) has always opposed the continuation of the Sedition  
provision after independence. This provision was brought in to protect  
the British crown and sovereign and had been used widely to detain and  
silence prominent Indian freedom fighters including Gandhiji. On this  
occasion when the country is observing the 150th anniversary of  
Gandhiji, it will be most appropriate to remove this provision from  
the statute books.

Writing a letter to the Prime Minister expressing opinions on  
important matters cannot be constituted as a crime and be termed as  
anti-national. This is tantamount to punishing all those who have a  
dissenting opinion on the policies of the present government.  This is  
a complete negation of democratic rights and reflects the growing  
authoritarianism in the country.

It is surprising that a court in Muzaffarpur has ordered the  
registering of this case, when the Supreme Court had ruled as early as  
1962 that the sedition clause cannot be invoked unless there is a  
direct call or instigation of violence against the State.

The Polit Bureau, therefore, demands that the charges against the  
eminent intellectuals/artists be immediately rescinded.