As many as 96 people were arrested in 2019 in connection with 93 sedition cases registered in different parts of the country, the Centre informed the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday.
Union Minister of State for Home G Kishan Reddy said chargesheets were filed against 76 people, while 29 were acquitted by the courts.
The highest number of 22 sedition cases were registered in Karnataka where 18 people were arrested, Reddy added in a written reply to a question. This was followed by Assam where 23 persons were arrested in 17 cases.
A total of 11 sedition cases were registered in Jammu and Kashmir where 16 persons were arrested. In Uttar Pradesh, 10 sedition cases were filed in which nine people were arrested, the Union ministry said.
In response to a question on whether any step had been taken to strengthen the sedition law (Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code), the minister said the “amendment of laws is an ongoing process”.
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96% sedition cases filed against 405 people after BJP’s 2014 victory, shows new Article 14 database
A new database launched by Article 14 on February 2 showed that 96% of the sedition cases filed against 405 Indians for criticising political leaders and governments over the last decade were registered after the Narendra Modi government first came to power in 2014.
Of these, the website said 149 people were accused of making “critical” or “derogatory” remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, and 144 against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath. Article 14 tracked sedition cases filed between January 1, 2010, and December 31, 2020.
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