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The government has proposed to abolish the contentious colonial-era sedition law only to bring it in a different avatar which says that any act against the nation either spoken or written or by signs or by visible representation or by electronic communication may invite life imprisonment.
The sedition law, known as 'Rajdroh' has got a new term for it -- 'Deshdroh', thus doing away the reference to the British crown, officials said.
According to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita Bill, 2023, introduced by Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday, whoever, purposely or knowingly, by words, either spoken or written or by signs or by visible representation or by electronic communication or by use of financial mean or otherwise, excites or attempts to excite, secession or armed rebellion or subversive activities or encourages feelings of separatist activities or endangers sovereignty or unity and integrity of India; or indulges in or commits any such act shall be punished with imprisonment for life or with imprisonment which may extend to seven years and shall also be liable to fine.
According to the existing law for sedition activities, anyone involved in the crime is punished with life imprisonment.
Besides, whoever wages war against the government of any foreign State at peace with the government or attempts to wage such war or abets the waging of such war, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, to which fine may be added, or with fine.
According to the bill, whoever collects men, arms or ammunition or otherwise prepares to wage war with the intention of either waging or being prepared to wage war against the government of India, shall be punished with imprisonment for life or imprisonment of either description for a term not exceeding 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Whoever by any act, or by any illegal omission, conceals the existence of a design to wage war against the government of India, intending by such concealment to facilitate, or knowing it to be likely that such concealment will facilitate, the waging of such war, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to 10 years, and shall also be liable to fine.
According to the bill, whoever, with the intention of inducing or compelling the President of India, or governor of any state, to exercise or refrain from exercising in any manner any of the lawful powers of such president or governor, assaults or wrongfully restrains, or attempts wrongfully to restrain, or overawes, by means of criminal force or the show of criminal force, or attempts so to overawe, such president or governor, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine.
Whoever wages war against the government of any foreign State at peace with the government of India or attempts to wage such war, or abets the waging of such war, shall be punished with imprisonment for life, to which fine may be added, or with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, to which fine may be added, or with fine.
Whoever commits depredation, or makes preparations to commit depredation, on the territories of any foreign State at peace with the government of India, shall be punished with imprisonment of either description for a term which may extend to seven years, and shall also be liable to fine and to forfeiture of any property used or intended to be used in committing such depredation, or acquired by such depredation, according to the bill.
Click on the links below to read the text of the 3 bills.