A primary school teacher and single mother of an 11-year-old student of Shaheen School from Bidar, Karnataka await their bail order scheduled for tomorrow, February 14. They have been booked on charges of sedition over a play performed by the students of the school last month which criticised CAA-NPR-NRC.
Soon after the event, a case was registered against the school. Nilesh Rakshala, who filed the complaint, is a member of Akhil Bharatiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP). He alleged that the play insulted Prime Minister Modi. The police arrested Fareeda Begum, a teacher, and Nazbunissa, a single mother of a student of the school, on January 30.
Apart from sedition, the charges in the FIR include Sections 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505 (2) (Statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes), 153A (promoting enmity between groups based on religion, race, place of birth, residence and language) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
Sedition is an offence under section 124A of the Indian Penal Code, 1860. The section penalises any expressions that “bring or attempt to bring hatred or contempt” or “excite disaffection” against the government established by law in India. The explanation given under the section states that “disaffection includes disloyalty and all feelings of enmity”.
The district and sessions court in Bidar on Thursday ruled that the play staged by some children of Shaheen Urdu Medium School against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA) does not amount to sedition. The Principal District and Sessions Court made the observation while granting anticipatory bail to five members of the school, citing lack of material for a prima facie case of sedition.
https://thewire.in/law/bidar-court-caa-play-sedition 07/Mar/2020