Sedition, a term against the basic tenets of democracy, still flies high because of the Indian judicial and governmental systems, which still bow their heads in front of the old colonial rules. Sedition resides under section 124-A of the IPC, 1860, which was inserted by the Britishers with the sole aim of imprisoning the freedom of Indian countrymen.

Sedition as an offence is committed when "any person by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the government established by law in India". The definition itself accounts for multiple errors, as words like hatred, contempt or excitement can be warped by the heat of power and arbitrariness.

Sedition is against the current belief system as it allows for the curtailment of the rights of individuals if they wish to speak against the actions of the government.

Speaking out or against the government forms an intrinsic part of our basic right to freedom, which falls under Article 19 of the Constitution of India. According to Law Commission of India's 2018 report, sedition is a shadow of colonial times that should not see light of the day in free India.

In 1962, the Kedar Nath landmark judgement came in, which in itself highlighted how delicately the law of sedition must be dealt with and talked about its implementation righteously in rare cases only.

Understanding why this rule was made in the first place, it is easy to deduce that it was aimed at suppressing Indians and their voices, to allow colonial rulers to brutally and arbitrarily rule over a resourceful nation. The ultimate footing of this law was and can never be in our countrymen's favour. The continuity of this law is not only violative of basic human rights but also of the basic spirit of the constitution, i.e., democracy and freedom.

Freedom and democracy in today's 21st century stand by checks and balances. Freedom is the strongest pillar supporting the notion of democracy, if this pillar is taken away the concept of free and rightful living would be dissolved. By the people, of the people, and for the people are the phrases being implemented by the wide-awake youth of the present. Development has taken place in many spheres, like mentality. However, India continues to follow a law enacted by the brutal colonial rulers of the past.

This law is a threatening weapon which can be used to suppress dissent and free speech.

In the recent Disha Ravi case, it was decided that nothing can give the government a free pass to haphazardly put citizens behind bars simply because they choose to disagree.

We, the citizens, are asked to abide by the constitution as it is the basic spirit of our country and if we don't do so, we are termed criminals. This concept is rightly intact in its place, but what about the officials protecting the arbitrary law of sedition? Aren't they the real criminals?