Gujarat's sedition case against Times of India and Ashis Nandy: Press Release after Protest in Delhi

(The below content is from the Anhad Website)

Citizen’s Protest for Freedom of Expression
Dharna held at Gujarat Bhawan, Delhi on 12 June 2008

Text of Press Release - June 12, 2008

Thursday 12 June 2008

A dharna was organised in Delhi today by local civil society organisations to protest against the sedition charges slapped against the times of india Ahmedbad. please find the Press release pasted below. Apart from the local activists from delhi senior journalist Digant Oza from Gujarat participated in the Dharna.

shabnam hashmi
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MEDIA RELEASE

New Delhi, 12.06.2008

The news of filing of sedition charges against the editor of the Ahmedabad edition of the Times Of India for having dared to criticize the newly appointed police chief of Ahmedabad Mr. O P mathur has not come as a surprise to us. In fact,it is sixth such case slapped on a newspaper or a journalist under the Chief Minister ship of Narendra Modi. Sedition is a very serious offence and can only be applied in cases where there is direct threat to the state. Criticizing politicians and public officials is a perfectly legitimate act in any democracy. It is the job of the media to keep the public officials under critical scrutiny. The Police Commissioner is not the state; therefore without the permission (written or oral) of the political authorities Mathur could not have filed the complaint against journalists for sedition. Therefore in effect the complaint is by the present Government of Gujarat headed by Narendra Modi. This government has a track record of using 124-A under IPC against the independent journalist and investigative journalism in Gujarat. The government is extremely intolerant about the use of freedom of expression especially if it is against them.

The criminal cases filed against the Times of India are part of a larger design. A case against Ashis Nandy for his article in the Times of India ( 8 june, 2008) was filed by a front man of the Modi regime earlier last month . Close on the heels followed the case against the editor and two journalists for stories critical of O P Mathur. Since O P Mathur was the one of those police officers against whom the former AGP Sree Kumar has deposed alleging his complicity in the 2002 genocide, we have strong reasons to believe that these cases have been filed with an intent to intimidate the TIO into silence. It needs to be noted that the TIO has been consistently critical of the role of Narendra Modi in the genocide of 2002.

The latest instance of the brazen and audacious misuse of public office by the Modi regime is a grim reminder of the dangers of allowing a fascist party to exist in a democratic set up. Recent victories of the BJP in Karnataka and elsewhere seem to legitimize the kind of politics Narendra Modi has been practicing in Gujarat which is being dubbed as a model state.

We take this opportunity to request the governor of the state of Gujarat to use his moral authority and advise his government not to proceed with the sedition charges against the Times of India .There are instances of Governors doing so without upsetting the constitutional arrangement in critical moments.

We also appeal to all the freedom loving people to come together to fight the nefarious design of the Modi regime to eliminate all voices of dissent and protest. We appeal to the supreme Court of India to take cognizance of such blatant misuse of power despite many of its rulings and review all cases of sedition leveled against media persons who have performed their duty of watch dogs of the society and ensure that democracy functions according to the constitution of India in a state like Gujarat which is trying to secede from the constitutional framework of India .

Today’s protest at the Gujarat Bhawan was organized by :

* ANHAD
* ASHRAYA ADHIKAR ABHIYAN
* BAHROOP
* DEMOCRATIC JOURNALIST UNION
* HUMAN RIGHTS LAW NETWORK
* INSAAF
* INSTITUTE FOR SECULAR DEMOCRACY
* MOEMIN
* NATIONAL CAMPAIGN FOR DALIT HUMAN RIGHTS
* NIRANTAR
* PEACE
* PEOPLE’S MOVEMENT OF INDIA
* SAHELI
* SRUTI