The Apex Court had said, it would commence the final hearing in the matter on May 5 and would not entertain any request for adjournment of the matter.
Indian Supreme court (IANS file photo)
The Central government today for the second time, within a gap of three days, sought a week more time from the Supreme Court to file its response to a batch of petitions challenging the constitutional validity of Section 124-A (Sedition law) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).
A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice Nuthalapati Venkata Ramana, and also comprising Justices Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli, is slated to hear the case tomorrow and had already told the Centre that it won’t adjourn the matter on that day.
On Sunday also, the Centre had filed an application before the Supreme Court and sought more time.
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The Apex Court had said, it would commence the final hearing in the matter on May 5 and would not entertain any request for adjournment of the matter.
“We direct the Central government (UOI) to file its reply by the end of this week. Reply to the affidavit be filed by Tuesday. List the matter for final disposal without any adjournment on May 5”, the Bench of the Supreme Court had in its earlier hearing, said.
The Court had also noted in its order that Senior advocate Kapil Sibal will lead the arguments from the petitioner’s side in the matter.
There is a batch of petitions filed before the Supreme Court challenging the Constitutional validity of sedition law.
The petitioners in the case are the Editors Guild of India (EGI) and former Major-General S G Vombatkere and many others.
Section 124-A (Sedition law) of the IPC deals with any speech that brings or brings into hatred or contempt or disaffection towards the government established by law in India a criminal offence punishable with a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.
Former Union minister of Information Technology (IT) and veteran journalist, Arun Shourie also moved the Supreme Court in the issue and filed a petition before it and said that sedition law is violative of Articles 14 and 19(1)(a) of the Constitution of India.
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