Sedition Laws In India

Sedition refers to the writing or uttering of words or doing acts intended to bring the state into hatred or contempt or to excite disaffection against the established government.

- Arushi Sralech

Sedition encompasses all those practices which aim at arising hatred, contempt, or disaffection, including discontent, stirring up opposition, inciting rebellion, creating public disturbance, promoting disloyalty and public disorder against the sovereign or the government.

The British Government in order to maintain the continuity of rule in India enacted a number of laws to restrain public to rebel against the British rule. The offence of sedition was amongst these offences. Sedition law in India, like most of the criminal law in India, is a reflection of the Victorian legacy left behind by the British and is indicative of the colonial mind set of British. It was incorporated in the Indian Penal Code in 1870 and was repeatedly used to oppress the Indian freedom fighters and the national struggle for freedom before independence.