Sedition law needs relook: Law panel chief

New Delhi, March 22: The sedition law, which has come under focus after the JNU row, needs "reconsideration," newly-appointed Law Commission Chairman Justice Balbir Singh Chauhan said on Thuesday, March but asserted that the panel will not jump to any conclusion before hearing out stakeholders. "Actually it (sedition law) requires reconsideration.

We do not know what is the problem, what are the difficulties. We will hear all the stakeholders, consult criminal lawyers," the former Supreme Court judge said.

He said the recently-reconstituted 21st Law Commission "cannot jump to any conclusion" before understanding the difficulties relating to section 124 A of the IPC dealing with sedition. "What are the difficulties, why it requires reconsideration, whether there is any need of change of definition. And only then we will make a report.

We cannot jump to any conclusion...," he said. He said the priority for the Commission would be come out with the report on comprehensive review of the criminal justice system which would include a relook at the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPc) and the Evidence Act. While IPC and CrPC are handled by the Union Home Ministry, the Evidence Act comes under the domain of the Law Ministry.

Justice Chauhan said the government has given the Commission a list of issues for its consideration, including hate speech, live in relations, rights of victims and "comprehensive review" of the criminal justice system.

"We will take up the issues one by one, otherwise it will be difficult to hand over reports," he said.

The issue of sedition law, which was part of government's effort to review the criminal justice system was referred to the 20th Law Commission headed by Justice A P Shah in 2012. But the previous Commission could not submit a report on the issue.

Arrest of JNU students union president on charges of sedition triggered a debate on whether this law can be misused to crush freedom of expression.

PTI