A bench comprising the Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli has taken up the petitions challenging Section 124A IPC.

While issuing notice on the petitions in July 2021, the CJI had orally made critical remarks against the provision.

"Is it still necessary to retain this colonial law which the British used to suppress Gandhi, Tilak etc., even after 75 years of independence?", the CJI had asked the Attorney General for India.

"If we go see history of charging of this section, the enormous power of this section can be compared to a carpenter being given a saw to make an item, uses it to cut the entire forest instead of a tree. That's the effect of this provision", the CJI said.

In April 2021, another bench led by Justice UU Lalit had issued notice on a petition filed by two journalists challenging Section 124A IPC. A Petition filed by journalists Patricia Mukhim and Anuradha Bhasin on the same issue is also pending.

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