Subscribe to BCA Journal Know More

December 2015

States abusing law – Time to reform colonial-era sedition law to prevent misuse

By Tarunkumar G. Singhal | Raman Jokhakar Chartered Accountants
Reading Time 1 mins
fiogf49gjkf0d
The Tamil Nadu police arrested the folk singer S. Kovan on charges of sedition. The 52-year old Mr. Kovan had recorded hard-hitting songs pointing a finger at the chief minister of Tamil Nadu, J. Jayalalithaa – and her government, of the all India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazagham or AIADMK – of profiting from the sale of liquor in the state’s chain of alcohol shops under the Tamil Nadu State Marketing Corporation, or TASMAC. There are about 6,800 state-run alcohol shops in Tamil Nadu, and TASMAC earned just under Rs. 24,000 crore a year in 2013-14. Mr. Kovan, an outspoken Dalit rights activist, has sympathised with other hot-button issues before the prohibition movement, but his songs on alcohol attacking Ms. Jayalalithaa have touched a particular nerve, with his supporters saying they have been seen over 400,000 times on You Tube. it is, however, entirely questionable as to whether they constitute sedition.
Download PDF

You May Also Like

Proviso to section 3 and section 37(1) – Business is set-up on recruitment of employees and all expenditure incurred thereafter are allowable as business expenditure.

Part A | Decision of CIC