One would not think that a Facebook status or a tweet could land you in jail, at least not in India -- the world's largest democracy. However, the reality is a lot more brutal in India, which has a shameful history of locking up its citizens for dissenting viewpoints. According to Mint, at least 50 people have been arrested through 2017 and 2018 for posts on social media. Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.com presents some of the most prominent cases.
The court had on October 30 framed charges in the case against all the seven accused for terror activities, criminal conspiracy and murder, among others.
The court adjourned the hearing in the case to October 27.
Special Judge M K Nagpal fixed May 12 for consideration of the charge sheet after the CBI submitted that the prosecution sanction against Sisodia has already been procured from the competent authorities.
The court also stated in its order -- the copy of which was uploaded on the court's website on Saturday -- that the accused were trained to carry out mass killings to target the Hindu population.
A case registered against Home Minister Sushilkumar Shinde and his predecessor P Chidambaram in Hyderabad for allegedly "cheating" Telangana people through "misleading" statements about the separate statehood has been closed for lack of evidence, Cyberabad police said on Monday.
A sessions court on Wednesday granted interim protection from arrest till July 16 to three sons of a former owner of Altaf Manzil building, which collapsed last week killing 10 people.
According to a National Crime Records Bureau report, a total of 356 cases of sedition -- as defined under section 124A of the IPC -- were registered and 548 people arrested between 2015 and 2020, out of which only six were convicted.
The SC in its judgment said that discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a violation of Freedom of Expression. "Sexual orientation of an individual is natural and discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation is a violation of Freedom of Expression, Supreme Court," the court said.
Sharma, who met Maharashtra Governor Bhagat Singh Koshyari at Raj Bhavan, along with local BJP leaders Mangal Prabhat Lodha and Atul Bhatkhalkar, said he wants stringent action against those who assaulted him.
Ansari was seen on national television being beaten up with rods while tied to a pole and forced to chant "Jai Shri Ram" over alleged theft in June.
The team probing the incident examined 808 suspects and 118 witnesses to collect strong evidence against the accused, the CID said in a release.
The high court said prima facie charges of rioting and unlawful assembly are made out against nine of the 11 accused, including Imam, Tanha and Zargar.
Three persons were on Friday sentenced to 20 years imprisonment by a court in Jaipur for raping a 20-year-old Japanese tourist on the Jaipur-Ajmer National Highway in February.
CS Anshu Prakash was allegedly assaulted during a meeting at Kejriwal's official residence on February 19 night.
A 39-year-old bank executive from Mumbai went missing on September 5 evening.
The police decided on Wednesday to press attempt to kidnap charge against Vikas Barala and another person, who had allegedly stalked and tried to abduct Varnika Kundu, daughter of an IAS officer.
The court had acquitted six other accused, including Asaram's wife Laxmiben, their daughter, and four disciples who were accused of aiding and abetting the crime, for want of evidence, the prosecution said.
'The Bills (Bharatiya Saksha, Bharatiya Nagarik Sanhita and Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita) are arbitrary, opaque and ambiguous and structurally quite violent.'
The 11 convicts on Monday walked out of the Godhra sub-jail after the Gujarat government allowed their release under its remission policy.
The CM contended that the raids on his residence and other premises were conducted with 'mala fide intentions and political vendetta' by the CBI.
Taking a serious view of the violation of its directions, the EC shot off a letter to the Chief Electoral Officer of Uttar Pradesh in which it reminded the CEO that the "offence under Section 126A is punishable by imprisonment for a term upto 2 years or with fine or both."
RSS worker Rajesh Kunte had filed the case after watching Rahul Gandhi's speech at an election rally in which he had alleged that the RSS was behind the killing of Mahatma Gandhi.
Rana, 59, a childhood friend of David Coleman Headley, was recently released from jail on compassionate ground after he told a US court that he has tested positive for the COVID-19.
An undertrial prisoner, who used an order bearing the forged signatures of a metropolitan magistrate to get swanky sports shoes, trendy belt and a wrist watch in jail, has been awarded three years imprisonment by a Delhi court.
Acquitting a rape convict, the Bombay high court has held that it would not amount to rape if the consent of the girl in a sexual relationship with her partner was voluntary.
The court allowed Pachauri's application seeking its permission to travel to Kazakhstan, Guyana and Mexico till October 5 to attend various meetings, conferences and a film festival.
A five-judge Constitution bench said the SC is empowered under Article 142 of the Constitution to do complete justice.
Holger Erik Misch, a resident of Berlin, had on November 3 entered into an altercation with railway employee Aman Kumar and had also allegedly attacked two policemen with a stick.
The appeal would come up for hearing on Friday before Additional Sessions Judge Vimal Kumar Yadav.
The five were absconding soon after one of the worst temple tragedies Kerala has witnessed which has claimed 110 lives so far and left over 350 injured.
The appeal filed through advocate Nishant R Katneshwarkar raised 20 grounds while assailing the high court order.
Jawaharlal Nehru University Students' Union President Kanhaiya Kumar, arrested in a sedition case, says he is a victim of conspiracy and falsely implicated by 'fabricating' evidence.
The court ruled that chances of the legislator fleeing from justice was remote and he deserved the relief.
The Congress and the government engaged in a war of words in Lok Sabha on Tuesday over sedition cases with the opposition party alleging the stringent law is being misused, drawing a sharp retort from Union minister G Kishan Reddy who asked it not to lecture others on democracy.
The gay rights activists had said thousands from the LGBT community became open about their sexual identity during the past four years after the Delhi high court decriminalised gay sex and they were now facing the threat of being prosecuted.
Shuja had on Monday claimed at an event in London that the EVMs can be tampered with and that the 2014 Lok Sabha elections were rigged.
"Actually it (sedition law) requires reconsideration. We do not know what is the problem, what are the difficulties. We will hear all the stakeholders, consult criminal lawyers," the former Supreme Court judge told PTI.
A sessions court on Monday held that the offence of 'culpable homicide not amounting to murder' under the Indian Penal Code had been made out against Bollywood actor Salman Khan in a 2002 hit-and-run case and rejected his appeal challenging a Magistrate's order invoking this charge.
The police said the woman works as a pilot with a private airline while her husband is deployed with the ground staff in another private airline.
