Lawyers demand repeal of sedition law

NEW DELHI: In the context of the incidents at the Hyderabad Central university and the JNU in Delhi, a lawyers' body has demanded repeal of the sedition law made during the British period.

At a convention held by the Lawyers for Democracy and Social Justice, a resolution was passed demanding repeal of the sedition law and autonomy of universities.

"This lawyers' convention takes serious note of incidents at the Hyderabad Central University in which a Dalit scholar committed suicide abetted by the unbearable allegation of being anti-national and the bizarre incidents of Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in which the entire university was dubbed as a den of anti-nationals," the resolution said.

"The students who oppose the policies of the Government are dubbed as anti-national and booked under the archaic colonial law of sedition. This brazen attempt to muzzle dissent is reminiscent of British rule," it said.