Scrupulously follow law SC tells police while quashing sedition case against Vinod Dua

New Delhi, June 03: The Supreme Court has quashed the sedition case registered senior journalist, Vinod Dua. The case was registered against Dua following his YouTube telecast.

The court said that registration of case under sedition should strictly follow the parameters of the Kedar Singh judgment and be in strict conformity with the scope and ambit of Section 124A. In the Kedar Singh case, the SC had ruled that sedition charges could not be slapped on a citizen for criticism of public measures or comments on the government action, however strongly worded as it would be consistent with the fundamental right to free speech and expression.

The FIR was lodged by the Himachal Pradesh police for his alleged accusatory comments in his YouTube channels against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The court further said that the police across India must scrupulously follow the law on sedition laid down 60 years back by a 5 judge Bench of the Supreme Court before lodging FIRs and effecting arrests of journalists.