Assam reported highest number of sedition cases in 2021, Haryana second

In the last eight years, Assam reported the highest number of sedition cases in the country. Out of the total 475 sedition cases registered since 2014, 69 cases or 14.52 per cent were in reported from Assam. According to a report by Indian Express (IE), one in every six cases reported were from Assam. 

The data was taken from the Crime in India 2021 report released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB). In India, sedition cases are registered under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). 

Assam was followed by Haryana with 42 cases reported in the last eight years. Jharkhand and Karnataka followed Haryana with 40 and 38 cases respectively. 

The top six states, in terms of the number of sedition cases reported, accounted for over half of all the total cases. Andhra Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir stand at the fifth and the sixth spot respectively.

IE report also stated that nine other states and UTs registered sedition cases in double digits. Delhi had the highest number of such cases registered among the UTs at 13, in 2014. 

The report added that the data on sedition cases is given under the headline ‘Offences Against State’.

While cases registered under Section 124A of the IPC have been mentioned under the sub-head ‘Sedition’, the cases registered under Sections 121, 121A, 122 and 123 IPC have been given under the second sub-head ‘Others’. Out of a total of 149 offences against the state registered in 2021, 76 were sedition cases and 73 were under the ‘other’ subhead.

There were also several states and UTs that did not report even one case of sedition. These were: Meghalaya, Mizoram, Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu, and Puducherry.