The Kerala High Court will consider on Wednesday an anticipatory bail application by film personality and activist Aysha Sulthana who moved the court apprehending that she might be arrested and detained in a sedition case charged by the Kavarathy police.
The sedition case was registered against her for allegedly making some statements against the Central government while taking part in a channel discussion on the Lakshadweep issue.
Not under ambit of sedition
Ms. Sulthana submitted that she was absolutely innocent and was falsely implicated in the case with ulterior motives and vexatious intentions. She submitted that the case charged against her did not qualify to be one of sedition as the prosecution had failed to satisfy the requisites necessary to constitute an offence under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code. For an offence to fall under the ambit of Section 124A, the words spoken or written have to bring about hatred, contempt or displeasure against a government established by law and such words should have resulted in imminent violence. There is no case that the statements created disaffection towards the government or sparked imminent violence, she submitted.
In the forefront of protests
The actor submitted that she was in the forefront of the protests being staged in Lakshadweep against the draft rules and the revised SOP regarding the COVID-19 quarantine protocol, which were issued by the Lakshadweep Administrator.
The police had also charged her with Section 153 B, hate speech.
Pratheesh Viswanathan, who filed a complaint against her statement earlier, has moved the court to implead himself in the case.
