Actress Ramya faces sedition charge for praising Pak

Somwarpet/Bengaluru, August 23

Actress-turned-politician Ramya is facing a sedition charge filed against her by a lawyer in Karnataka for praising people in Pakistan, kicking up a controversy today with questions being raised over invoking a colonial-era law to curb free speech.

As Ramya's remarks triggered a bitter backlash on social media and BJP and ABVP workers staged protests terming her remarks "anti-national", the actress stood her ground in Bengaluru today.

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The complaint has sought a direction to police to book Ramya, an ex-Congress MP, under IPC’s Sections 124(a) (sedition), 344 (wrongful confinement for 10 or more days) and 511 (punishment for attempting to commit offences punishable with imprisonment for life or other imprisonment).

Advocate K Vittala Gowda filed the complaint before Somwarpet Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court, which yesterday admitted it and posted it for hearing on August 27.

In the complaint, Gowda accused the multi-lingual actress of "insulting" India and "provoking" people by appreciating Pakistan which is a "traditional enemy of India." 

After a recent visit to Islamabad as part of a SAARC delegation of young lawmakers, Ramya had reportedly said at a meeting in Mandya, which she represented from 2013 to 2014 in Lok Sabha, "Pakistan is not hell. People there are just like us. They treated us very well."

Her remarks had come as an ostensible counter to comments of Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, who while lashing out at Islamabad for promoting terror, had said last week, "going to Pakistan is same as going to hell."

Reacting to the controversy, Ramya said "...this is the state of affairs in this country today. Sedition is being slapped against anyone and anybody who is entitled to an opinion which should not be the case."

She accused BJP of trying to curb freedom of expression.

"I think that as an individual I should be allowed to air or express my thoughts, views and opinions. I think BJP government is trying to curb that."

She said other parties could also misuse sedition law and file cases against BJP leaders because of the "bizarre" statements some of them were making which were "seditious" but they do not do it and instead engage them in discussions.

Ramya also said the BJP "right now" would not do anything to repeal the sedition law as it using it to its advantage.

The sedition issue has cropped up afresh amid a raging row over sedition charge filed against Amnesty International India by police, after anti-national and anti-Army slogans were allegedly raised at an event on Kashmir organised by it here recently.

The issue has turned into a major political slugfest with BJP, including several Union ministers, accusing Congress of "sympathising with supporters of terrorists" and giving a clean chit to Amnesty International.

Going into damage control mode, Karnataka Home Minister G Parmeshwara has, however, denied giving a clean chit to Amnesty International and said the law would take its own course on the issue. — PTI