The Supreme Court on Wednesday said that expression of views that are different from the opinion of the government in power cannot be termed "seditious" while dismissing a petition filed against Jammu and Kashmir MP and former CM Farooq Abdullah for his remarks on scrapping of Article 370.
"Expression of views, which are dissent and different from government opinion, cannot be termed as seditious," a top court bench headed by Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said.
The SC dismissed the petition filed against Abdullah after he failed to substantiate his allegation that the National Conference leader sought help of China and Pakistan to criticise India over the issue of Article 370 on special status for J&K, which was scrapped in August 2019.
The petitioner was fined ₹50,000.
The apex court was hearing a PIL against the National Conference leader, which is linked to his remarks protesting against the government's move to end special status to J&K under Article 370.
The Central Government had scrapped the special status granted to J&K under Article 370 on August 5, 2019, and divided the state into two Union Territories - Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh - with effect from October 31, 2019.
After the scrapping of Article 370, senior J&K leaders, including Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah and PDP supremo and former CM Mehbooba Mufti, were put under house arrest.
