Sedition Law- Section 124A of the Penal Code
History of the Sedition Law
Sedition laws were enacted in 17th century England.
The law was originally drafted in 1837 by Thomas Macaulay, the British historian-politician, but was omitted when the Indian Penal Code (IPC)
was enacted in 1860.
Section 124A was inserted in 1870 by an amendment introduced by Sir James Stephen when it felt the need for a specific section to deal with the offence.
The first case of Sedition law in India was the trial of Jogendra Chandra Bose in 1891
He was the editor of the newspaper Bangobasi.
The trial was for criticizing the Age of Consent Bill.
Tilak was tried under the Sedition law in 1897 and 1908.
In 1908, he was sentenced to six years of imprisonment in Burma (Now, Myanmar).
Both the cases were for writing articles in Kesari and Maratha against the British Government
Mahatma Gandhi was imprisoned in 1922 for six years for his articles in his newspaper, ‘Young India’.
The charges imposed on him were – “Bringing or attempting to excite disaffection towards His Majesty’s Government established by law in British India”
Mahatma Gandhi termed Section 124A as “Prince among the political sections of the Indian Penal Code designed to suppress the liberty of the citizen.”
Section 124A of IPC – Sedition
The IPC Section 124 A says, “Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into
hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in India shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment which may extend to three years, to which fine may be added, or with fine.
Punishment for the Sedition Offence
It is a non-bailable offence.
Imprisonment up to three years to a life term, to which fine may be added.
The person found guilty of this offence is not eligible for any government job.