New Delhi: Left leader Kanhaiya Kumar took a sarcastic swipe at Delhi Police this evening, hours after the ruling Aam Aadmi Party in the national capital permitted his prosecution in a long-pending sedition case. Taking to Twitter he said “thank you” and asked his trial to be fast-tracked “in a court of law, rather than one on TV”.
The former Jawaharlal Nehru University student is accused of leading a procession that allegedly chanted anti-national slogans during an on-campus event in February 2016.
“Thank you to the Delhi government for granting permission for a sedition case. Police and government officials are urged to take this case seriously (and have a) speedy trial in a fast-track court to ensure justice in a court of law instead of a trial on television,” he posted in Hindi, adding, “Satyameva Jayate“.
Alleging that the sedition law had been wrongfully used in India for “political gains and to divert people from issues that affected them”, Mr Kumar also said his speedy trial would help reveal such problems.
Concerns over misuse of sedition law were flagged by the Law Commission in a consultation paper in 2018, which said criticism of the country could not amount to sedition. It was pointed out that the United Kingdom, which originally introduced the section, had itself abolished such “draconian” laws