Using abusive words against prime minister derogatory, not seditious: Karnataka High Court

The court made the observation while quashing an FIR against officials of a school where a play had been staged against the Citizenship Amendment Act and NRC.

Jul 7, 2023 - 17:30

Using abusive words against prime minister derogatory, not seditious: Karnataka High Court

The Karnataka High Court has observed that using abusive words against the prime minister is derogatory and irresponsible, but does not constitute sedition, PTI reported on Friday.

A single bench of Justice Hemant Chandangoudar made the observation while quashing a first information report against officials of the Shaheen School in Bidar, where a play had been staged in 2020 by students of Classes 4, 5, and 6 against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens.

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act, approved by Parliament on December 11, 2019, provides citizenship to refugees from six minority religious communities, excluding Muslims, from Bangladesh, Afghanistan and Pakistan, on the condition that they have lived in India for six years and entered the country by December 31, 2014.

Protestors against the Act have expressed fears that it could be used with the National Register of Citizens to harass and disenfranchise Indian Muslims. The law, however, is yet to be implemented as the rules under the Citizenship Amendment Act have not been framed.

The FIR against the school officials in Bidar was filed on the basis of a complaint filed by Nilesh Rakshala, an activist of the Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad, the student wing of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh.

Rakshala alleged that besides criticising the laws,...