Friday, 17 May, 2024
By: Anshul Vipat
As per the NCRB report - in 2017 - 51 sedition cases were registered, 70 cases in 2018, 93 sedition cases in 2019, a total of 363 cases of sedition, as defined by Section 124A of the IPC, were registered.
The country has recorded a huge surge in sedition offences. According to a recent report released by the National Crimes Record Bureau (NCRB), the number of cases reported nationwide each year has increased by more than 55 percent. In 2014, a total of 47 cases were reported which increased to 73 in 2020.
As per the NCRB report - in 2017 - 51 sedition cases were registered, 70 cases in 2018, 93 sedition cases in 2019, a total of 363 cases of sedition, as defined by Section 124A of the IPC, were registered. The most sedition cases were reported by Andhra Pradesh, which had 29 of the 76 total cases in 2021. The increase in Andhra Pradesh contrasts sharply with 2020, when the state had no sedition cases reported.
Meanwhile, states that did not report even a single instance of sedition cases were Meghalaya, Mizoram, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, and Puducherry.
CVoter-India Tracker did a nationwide survey to find out what the country thinks about the issue. The respondents were asked the main reason for the rising figures of sedition cases. Close to 40 percent of the respondents blamed it on the increasing number of incidents causing damage to the country in the name of protest against the government. 31 percent gave credit to the strict action by the government while 28 percent blamed the harsh attitude of the government towards the people who disagree with the government.
Source: Team Cvoter-India Tracker
As the accompanying chart shows Indians across age groups, gender, educational, economical and ethnic background had differing opinions. More than one-third youths supported the government's strict action while 45 percent senior citizens believed it on the increasing number of incidents causing damage to the country in the name of protest against the government. The same pattern was observed among rural and urban respondents.
Source: Team Cvoter-India Tracker
Talking about ethnic groups, 34 percent Dalits, 32 percent Tribals and 20 percent Upper Caste Hindus blamed the harsh attitude of the government towards the people who disagree with the government. One-third Muslims and majority of Christians blamed it on protests against government.
The survey results clearly shows that the country is divided on the issue of sedition. This will only enlarge the old debate on wheather sedition law should be removed or not.
