Fair Criticism Of Government Is Every Journalist's Right, It Is Not Sedition : Former CJI UU Lalit

Former Chief Justice of India UU Lalit said that fair criticism of the government will not amount to sedition. 

“Fair criticism is the right of every individual, it is the cherished right of every journalist. I have every right to comment upon the policies and acts of the government. If I do that, then it is not sedition...Section 124A [of the Indian Penal Code for sedition] has always been a thorn in the flesh for all journalistic ventures...You (journalists) are the sentinels of the society", he said, as reported by The Hindu.

He was speaking at the award ceremony of the India chapter of the International Press Institute (IPI-India) at New Delhi on February 10. Award for Excellence in Journalism 2022 was conferred jointly to The Print and Saurabh Shukla, NDTV correspondent/

Justice Lalit who spoke about how freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak had defended himself in a court when the charge of sedition was levelled against him by the British rulers, yet he was convicted and sentenced to six years of imprisonment.

In 2022, the Supreme Court had ordered that the 152-year old sedition law under Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code should be effectively kept in abeyance till the Union Government reconsidered the provision. In the interim order, the Court urged the Centre and the State governments to refrain from registering any FIRs under the said provision while it was under re-consideration.