I would like to congratulate The Hindu on carrying the editorial “Repeal the sedition law” (April 22) on the draconian and outdated provision under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code. This law was used to put our freedom fighters behind bars during the colonial regime. It is indeed strange that even after six decades of achieving freedom, governments slap this obsolete law on their own people to throttle their voice. It is time the largest democracy got rid of the draconian law.
Asma Tabassum,Hyderabad
Section 124A is vague and outdated. There are two types of punishment under the Section. One is imprisonment for life and another is imprisonment which may extend up to three years. What are the factors considered while awarding the punishment in such varying degrees? As rightly pointed out, the law should be repealed.
C. Jayashree Sarathy,Secunderabad
Laws should conform to democratic principles and should not violate the fundamental rights guaranteed by the Constitution. The sedition law should at least be reformed to remove the obnoxious elements in it.
N.S. Sujith Kumar,Thiruvananthapuram
What we need to do is to curb the misuse of Section 124A, not do away with it. Can anyone vouch that there are no elements in India that indulge in seditious activities? They may be a few in number. Section 124A is a necessity but its applicability should be strictly need-based.
S.R. Badrinarayanan,Chennai
