India repeals outdated British-era sedition law. Experts call it a ‘repackaging’ exercise
India’s outdated British-era sedition law will be entirely abolished, the government has announced.
The government has called the decision a comprehensive reform of the criminal justice system, but experts have criticised it saying it could introduce intricacies and have ramifications for thousands of ongoing trials.
Addressing the Lok Sabha or the lower house of the Indian parliament on Friday, the country’s federal home minister Amit Shah announced the complete repeal of the sedition offence from one of the three forthcoming bills set to replace the current criminal code, known as the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
Crafted by the British in 1860, the IPC has served as the foundation of the nation’s criminal justice system for over 160 years.
Yet, legal experts have pointed out that the government is proposing a new bill that criminalises any acts that threaten the “sovereignty or unity and integrity of India”.
