Case Summary and Outcome

The Supreme Court of India ordered the release of activist Binayak Sen, who was convicted and sentenced on charges of sedition by the lower court, on bail during the pendency of the appeal against his conviction. Binayak Sen was convicted for the offense of sedition in 2010 and appealed for suspension of the sentence and grant of bail, which was rejected by the Chhattisgarh High Court. Sen then appealed the high court order before the Supreme Court of India.  The Court allowed Sen’s appeal but did not explain the reasoning. Some speculated that the Court’s judgment was grounded in its belief that charges against Sen were unfounded.

Facts

Binayak Sen was convicted for the offense of sedition by a sessions court in 2010. He filed an application for suspension of sentence and grant of bail during the pendency of the appeal against the conviction and sentence. The Chhattisgarh High Court dismissed the application. Sen preferred an appeal before the Supreme Court of India against the high court order.

Decision Overview

Singh Bedi, Prasad, JJ., delivered the order of the Supreme Court of India. Preceding this appeal, the high court noted that at the stage of considering application for bail and suspension of sentence, a court is only required to summarily assess the evidence to ascertain whether the conviction was well founded. On examination of the evidence, the high court concluded that Sen was closely associated with people who were members of a Maoist group and involved in activities creating disloyalty and inciting people to act against the state, resulting in killings of members of armed forces and robbery of arms and ammunition. Sen argued that he was an activist working with the organization Peoples’ Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL) in remote rural and forest areas and exposing atrocities of police and armed forces. The high court held that the right to freedom of speech and expression under Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution must be exercised reasonably, and does not extend to creating public disorder or disturbance of law and order.

While the organizations have the right to oppose or condemn the government and pubic policy, they are not authorized to excite or attempt to excite disorder or disaffection towards the government. Sen was found in possession of documents that attempted to incite hatred and disaffection towards the lawfully established government. Thus, the High Court rejected Sen’s application.

The Supreme Court allowed Sen’s appeal, directing the suspension of his sentence and release on bail to the satisfaction of the trial court. The Court did not give any reasons for the order, “lest [it] should prejudice any party.” Some contemporary analyses have speculated over the reasons for the order, however, suggesting that mere possession of certain documents does not suffice to prove a charge of sedition, and that merely sympathizing with a cause cannot amount to sedition. See Venkatesan, J., Binayak Sen gets bail in Supreme Court, The Hindu, (Apr. 16, 2011).