Sanjay Raut charged with sedition as ’Saamana’ article stirs pot against PM Modi
- FIR was filed following a complaint by Nitin Bhutada, the Yavatmal district coordinator for the BJP, against Sanjay Raut. Raut, who serves as the executive editor of 'Saamana' and is a member of the Rajya Sabha.
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut has been charged with sedition and other offences for publishing a controversial article against Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the party's publication, ‘Saamana’.
As reported by PTI citing a senior official on Tuesday, the FIR was registered after BJP's Yavatmal district coordinator Nitin Bhutada complained to the Rajya Sabha member, who is the executive editor of Saamana.
Responding to the allegations, Raut accused the BJP of engaging in “censorship.” Raut said, “The BJP had no right to say that it stood up against the Emergency because the fight was against such kind of censorship. The criticism in Saamana is political.”
According to the complaint, Bhutada asserted that Raut penned the objectionable article on December 10.
The filing of the case took place on Monday at Umarkhed police station in Yavatmal, registering charges under sections 124(A) (sedition), 153(A) (promoting enmity between different groups based on religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.), and 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred, or ill-will between classes) of the Indian Penal Code, as per the official.
“We have registered a case based on the complaint and will conduct a probe,” he said.
The law on sedition, which provides for a maximum jail term of life under section 124A of the IPC for creating “disaffection towards the government”, was brought into the penal code in 1890, a full 57 years before Independence and almost 30 years after the IPC came into being, PTI reported.
Earlier on August 10, Shiv Sena (UBT) targeted the Centre led by Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the issue of rising prices of essential commodities in the country via an editorial in its official mouthpiece ‘Saamana’.
The editorial contended that inflation is reaching alarming levels, causing a surge in the prices of essential goods, and there is a looming concern about shortages in grains, pulses, and sugar. Additionally, the article raised questions about the government's awareness of the situation and its efforts to alleviate the burden of inflation on the common man.
(With inputs from PTI)
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Business NewsPoliticsNewsSanjay Raut charged with sedition as ’Saamana’ article stirs pot against PM Modi
First Published:13 Dec 2023, 09:36 AM IST
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