New Delhi, Feb 21: A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court challenging the sedition case registered against a Karnataka school management for allegedly allowing students to stage an anti-CAA, anti-NRC drama that 'portrayed Prime Minister Narendra Modi in poor light'.
The petition seeks quashing of the FIR against the principal and other staff of the Shaheen School at Bidar who have been booked under sections 124-A (sedition) and 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups) of the Indian Penal Code.
In the petition filed on Thursday, social activist Yogita Bhayana has also sought an apex court direction for a proper mechanism to deal with alleged government misuse of the sedition law.
Section 124A of the IPC says that "whoever brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards... the Government shall be punished with imprisonment for life...".
Bhayana, in the plea, has sought a direction to the Centre and the Karnataka government "to quash the FIR registered in connection of seditious charges against the school management, teacher and a widowed parent of a student for staging a play criticizing CAA, NRC, and NPR."
The petition claimed the police "also questioned students, and videos and screenshots of CCTV footage showing them speaking to the students were shared widely on social media, prompting criticism."
It further quoted the school principal, alleging that "on one occasion, police in uniform questioned students, with no child welfare officials present".
The plea said that the "proceedings were violative of Article 21 (right to life and personal liberty) of the Constitution and abuse of process of law."
"Issue an order directing the Centre to constitute a committee to scrutinise complaints under 124-A IPC and adhere to judgments by the apex court before registering the FIR under the section 124-A IPC," the petition said.
The drama was staged on January 21 by students of fourth, fifth and sixth standard.
The sedition case was filed based on a complaint from social worker Neelesh Rakshyal on January 26.
The complainant has alleged that the school authorities "used" the students to perform a drama where they "abused" Modi in the context of the Citizenship Amendment Act and the National Register of Citizens.
The programme is being organised United for a Better Dakshina Kannada', a forum which comprises organisations belonging to different faiths including Ahinda, Buntara Yane Nadavara Mathr Sangha, Catholic Diocese of Mangalore, Dalit Sangharsha Samiti, Al Haq, Hope Foundation, Jain Samiti, Karnataka Christian Educational Society, Karnataka Komu Souharda Vedike, Karnataka Missions Network, KKMA-Karnataka, MFriends, Mogaveera Mahajana Sangha, Muslim Lekhakara Sangha, Sri Guru Singh Sabha Society, Talent Research Foundation and Yuva Vahini.
Comments
Naren....do a candle March for you cow maa first....then bharat maa....ha ha........we will be there in kadri....you will be repeating your bla bla.....sanghi paid goon....shitting in Singapooor.....poor fellow modiji can't help him to find a job here...what a pity in the bmj...chanters....
One Pakistani rant started chanting porkis slogan ...le farooq ....your kashmiri civilians who were killed are jihadis ... They shout anti India slogan ..sorry we dont consider them as indians at slll . they want benefits from India and loyalty to Pakistan ...any person who is born to their fathers will not support kashmiri stone Pelters ...nange doubt nin mele hahaha ..Kashmir belongs to indian nationalist ...bholo bharath mata ki jai ...no of unlikes shows this media is filled with pakis
Uri terror attack should be condemned and the wrong doers should be punished. But this brutal act did not happen all of a sudden. It was part of the two month long violence in Kashmir which killed nearly hundred people and injured thousands of innocent Kashmiris.
When you show solidarity with martyred soldiers, you should not forget the martyred Kashmiri civilians. Only terrorists deserve death. Civilians deserve your solidarity and those who are using pellet guns against innocent civilians deserve punishment.
United for a better Mangaluru now expanded jurisdiction till district borders? Or this is a new forum?
Lets join our hands together to support our armed forces that are protection our nation by sacrifying lives.
Btw, why caostaldigst.com did not cover yesterday's event at the same Kadri War Memorial wherein nationalist leaders paid tributes to the martyrs?
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