The dialogues in the play on CAA and NRC do not lead to hate or contempt towards the government, the district and sessions court judge said.
Bengaluru| All the accused in a case of sedition filed over a school play in Karnataka’s Bidar have been granted anticipatory bail by a court that cited a lack of material for a prima facie case of sedition.
The play, themed on protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), “has not caused any disharmony in the society”, said the district and sessions court in Bidar.
A district and sessions court in Karnataka on Thursday granted anticipatory bail to five management representatives of Shaheen Primary School in Bidar where the alleged seditious play was staged by children on January 21.
The play performed by students between nine and 12, landed in trouble when a sedition complaint was filed over an 11-year-old girl’s lines – enacting an elderly woman, she said if anyone asked for documents she would hit them with slippers.
That led to a sedition case and the police questioning children, teachers and the school management over many rounds.
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“The drama has not caused any disharmony in the society. Considering all the circumstances, I am of the opinion that the ingredients of Section 124A of IPC (Sedition) are prima facie lacking,” said the court.
Section 124A of the IPC says that “whoever brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards… the government shall be punished with imprisonment for life…”.
The repeated questioning of young students and the arrest of the widowed mother of a student caused a huge uproar in the town.
Nazbunnissa, the mother of a student who delivered dialogues about Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the play, and Fareeda Begum, the headteacher of the school’s primary section were arrested based on a complaint by a right-wing activist alleging sedition. The play voiced dissent against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC) and was staged by students of classes 4,5, and 6.
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