Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut stated on Saturday that the Centre shouldn't boast about repealing the sedition law because it is already utilising laws that are scarier than those the British introduced against its political rivals.
Talking to reporters, Raut asked whether the law is being repealed to help RSS worker and former senior Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) scientist Pradeep Kurulkar, who has been booked for espionage.
The Anti Terrorism Squad (ATS) of the Maharashtra police last month filed a chargesheet against Kurulkar, who was the director of one of the labs of the DRDO in Pune, in a court. He was arrested on May 3 on charges of providing confidential information to a Pakistani agent under the Official Secrets Act and is now in judicial custody.
Raut also welcomed the Supreme Court granting bail to Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader and former minister Nawab Malik in a money-laundering case. In an overhaul of criminal laws, the Centre on Friday introduced in Lok Sabha three bills to replace the Indian Penal Code (IPC), Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and Indian Evidence Act, proposing, among other things, repeal of the sedition law and introducing a new provision with a wider definition of the offence.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah introduced the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Bill, 2023; Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) Bill, 2023 to replace the CrPC; and Bharatiya Sakshya (BS) Bill, 2023 that will replace the Indian Evidence Act.