Sedition vs dissent

The law is increasingly being misused against critics

One of the ironies of the current political climate is that a draconian colonial-era law that served to stifle dissent against the transgressions of an imperial government is being applied with increasing frequency in a country where a party returned to Parliament for a second term with a larger popular majority. The arrest of 21-year-old climate activist Disha Ravi underlines this point. Ms Ravi was arrested by the cyber wing of the Delhi Police for editing a “toolkit” linked to the farmers’ protest and remanded to five days in custody. This toolkit, a document asking protestors around the world to