MUMBAI: The state government on Tuesday informed the Bombay high court that it was withdrawing its controversial sedition circular which was issued in August to prevent misuse of IPC section 124-A . Last Tuesday the government pleader had sought time to file its reply as the state was to take a call on the fate of the circular.

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Maharashtra government junks order on sedition

The government pleader Usha Kejriwal has last Tuesday said that the state wanted time to reply to two petitions challenging the constitutional validity of the August 27 circular. A bench of justices VM Kanade and Shalini Phansalkar-Joshi had granted the state time and extended its earlier order and adjourned the matter by a week.

It is learnt that the new state advocate general SG Aney had asviced the chief minister Devendra Fadnavis to drop the circular.

At the last hearing the state had suggested that it would be issuing a fresh circular with modifications.

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Withdraw Maharashtra circular on sedition, say legal experts

The court had earlier asked the state to take a stand on the issue.

The petitioners in court were cartoonist Aseem Trivedi — who was accused of the sedition charge few years ago till it was dropped after a petition was filed in the HC-- and three others in one petition, while the other one was filed by advocate Narendra Sharma.

Last Tuesday, Bhau Tausekar, a media person had intervened through his lawyer Ganesh Sovani to support the circular and saying that it was not meant to muzzle the media but would be used in extreme and rare instances when there is rebellion among people or when members of public are incited against obeying laws.

READ ALSO: HC extends stay on sedition circular

