Hyderabad, Aug 19: Former Supreme Court Judge N Santosh Hegde has said slapping of sedition charges against Amnesty International for hosting an event in Bengaluru where anti-India slogans were allegedly raised is justified, even as he questioned the credibility of the NGO.
He said Amnesty International cannot "run away" from its responsibility by saying that none of its employees shouted slogans.
"What's the responsibility of Amnesty International? They should have known that when you bring these people and allow whatever they want to speak, (and) then to say I am not responsible. No, you have made a platform available to them... You are an abettor. You cannot run away from that," Hegde, also the former Solicitor General of India told PTI.
"Raising pro-independence slogans amounts to sedition. It amounts to sedition according to me," he said.
"Let's take the institution's (Amnesty's) crediblity. What did Amnesty International do when soldiers were killed ? What did Amnesty International do when other terrorist activities were taking place in this country? Did they ever call a meeting like this? You try to get some popularity and when it backfires, you run away from it," he said.
"Taking into consideration what was spoken in the Bengaluru incident, I would say it certainly amounts to sedition," the former Karnataka Lokayukta said.
At the event organised by the Amnesty on Saturday, anti-India slogans were allegedly raised during a discussion on Kashmir, prompting the authorities to book the NGO under relevant IPC sections including sedition.
Amnesty, on its part, has rejected as "without substance" the allegations made by ABVP, which had also filed a police complaint in connection with the event and submitted a CD of the proceedings, and claimed that none of its employees shouted any anti-India slogans at any point.
Apr 23: An FIR has been registered in Nagpur against Republic TV channel's editor Arnab Goswami for promoting social disharmony and accusing Congress President Sonia Gandhi of orchestrating the Palghar lynching.
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Hegde yavare.....before pointing the fingers to others, look in your heart.....How many blunders you have committed by prolonging the cases.......There is a need for you go back to the school and learn the meaning JUSTICE DELAYED IS JUSTICE DENIED......
Hegde was good officer in controlling corruption. However everyone knows that like Arnab goswammy he has ideological and ancestral link with saffron party. His father ks hegde was bjp activist and leader. When he resigned from lokayukta finally he took his resignation back on advani's advise. He distanced himself from kejrival like many other saffron sympathizers such as kiran bedi. No wonder he gave this statement.
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