Actor Aisha Sultana was booked for sedition for criticising Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Khoda Patel over pandemic management.
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The Kerala High Court on Friday granted anticipatory bail plea to filmmaker Aisha Sultana, who hails from Chetlat island in Lakshadweep and works in the Malayalam film industry, in connection with a sedition case. This after the HC had given her interim bail for a week on June 17. At the time, the High Court had said that Aisha will have to appear before the police for interrogation under Section 41A CrPC (criminal procedure code) notice. The court had also directed that in case the police arrest her, she should be granted interim bail after arrest. As part of the arguments, the actor’s advocate P Vijayabhanu had cited the recent Supreme Court judgement in the ‘Vinod Dua’ case. The judgment had reiterated that mere strong words do not cannot be interpreted as an seditious act. He also argued that custodial interrogation is not necessary in the case. Read: Filmmaker Aisha Sultana gets interim anticipatory bail, has to appear before police Aisha was booked for sedition under Section 124A and Section 153B (prejudiced assertions) of the Indian Penal Code for criticising Lakshadweep Administrator Praful Khoda Patel and alleging during a television channel debate that the Union government used a “bio-weapon” in the Union Territory. In his arguments he further stressed that there was no need for custodial interrogation in this case. Later Aisha said that she used the word ‘bioweapon’ as the administrator had relaxed the lockdown rules in the island and COVID-19 cases had subsequently increased. Aisha has been questioned once by the Lakshadweep police in this case. After she appeared before the Kavaratti police, on June 24, the Lakshadweep administration approached the Kerala High Court again alleging that Aisha had breached the interim protection given to her. The Administration alleged that though Aisha was supposed to be in compulsory home isolation, she interacted with the media and others after appearing before the police. The petition also said that Aisha visited patients at a covid care centre and also a panchayat office. The Administration argued that Aisha who criticised Praful Khoda Patel was behaving in a manner that could spread the virus in the island
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