THIS YEAR OF SEDITION

How an archaic law is coming back to bite the citizens of a modern democracy in 2016

February 16

Prof S.A.R. Geelani booked for organising an event marking the death anniversary of Parliament attack convict Afzal Guru at Press Club, Delhi

February 12

JNU Student’s Union president Kanhaiya Kumar arrested for sedition after ‘antiIndia’ slogans allegedly raised at university

February 11

Delhi Police slap sedition against “unknown persons” in connection with a JNU event on Afzal Guru hanging

August 23

”Pakistan is not hell. People there are like us,” blogged actor Divya S. Ramya—a reaction to Manohar Parrikar’s “same as hell” comment. Vittala Gowda files case

February 17

Two lawyers filed complaints of sedition against Rahul Gandhi in Allahabad and Varanasi, for supporting JNU students. Also filed case against CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury, CPI’s D. Raja and JD(U) leader K.C. Tyagi

February 24

Virender and Man Singh Dalal, close aides of exHaryana CM Bhupinder Singh Hooda, booked on sedition charges after an audio clip of their alleged conversation revealed attempt to incite violence during Jat agitation

January 19

Patidar quota stir leader Hardik Patel and five associates charged with second case of sedition

August 15

FIR against Amnesty International, India, by an ABVP member for an event on rights violations in Kashmir. Footage did not support charges

February 29

Sedition case in Hyderabad against Rahul Gandhi, Arvind Kejriwal, CPI’s D. Raja, CPI(M)’s Sitaram Yechury and five others over the JNU row

January 5

Anwar Sadiq from Kerala arrested for sedition after allegedly making insulting comments on Facebook about Lt Col Niranjan E. Kumar, a Pathankot attack martyr