Filmmaker Aisha Sultana Gets Anticipatory Bail In Sedition Case: 10 Things To Know

Aisha Sultana anticipatory bail: Lakshadweep-based filmmaker and activist, Sultana was granted anticipatory bail by the Kerala High Court in connection with the sedition case filed against her. An FIR was registered against her on sedition charges and hate speech earlier this month for her remarks about the Centre. Lakshadweep Administration argued that she violated quarantine norms while out on interim bail granted by the court, however, the bench decided to allow her plea for anticipatory bail.

Kerala High Court grants anticipatory bail to filmmaker Aisha Sultana in the sedition case registered against her by Kavaratti Police of Lakshadweep, for her 'bio-weapon' remark pic.twitter.com/QRjYpLe659

— ANI (@ANI) June 25, 2021

Here are ten things to know about Aisha Sultana's case:

1. The Kerala High Court has passed the order on a bail application filed by the Lakshadweep filmmaker seeking anticipatory bail after an FIR was registered against her under sections related to hate speech and sedition.

2. The case was registered on June 10 claiming that Sultana appeared during a debate on a regional news channel and said that the central government Administrator of the Union Territory Lakshadweep, Praful Patel, as a "bio-weapon" against the island.

3. Subsequently, she was asked to appear before the Kavaratti Police Station on 20th June 2021, which prompted the bail application.

4. She was granted an interim anticipatory bail for a week on June 17. However, the administration alleged that Sultana broke COVID-19 protocols while visiting the island for the interrogation, which amounted to an abuse of the protection granted by the court,  Live Law reported.

5. The chairman of disaster management authority of Lakshadweep had issued a notice of caution to her on June 22, the court was informed. The administration also alleged that violation of quarantine norms after giving assurance to the nodal officer shows that she has no respect for law and legal obligations. She also visited the panchayat office and attended some functions, it said.

6. The sedition case against Aisha Sultana was registered under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on a complaint by Lakshadweep Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) unit president C Abdul Khader Haji. He alleged that Sultana's remarks on a television show regarding the new Lakshadweep administrator Praful Patel, amounted to an "anti-national" act.

7. Sultana was served a notice under Section 41A Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), and the police asked her to appear at Lakshadweep Police headquarters in Kavaratti, in connection with the case.

8. The incident has sparked public protests on the islands and several politicians and activists have condemned filing a sedition case against the activist. More on the case here.

9. Several BJP leaders in Lakshadweep had submitted their resignations calling the sedition case “false and unjustified”. Read all about the protests here.

10. A native of Lakshadweep’s Chetlat island, Sultana is currently settled in Kochi. She is reportedly the first woman director from Lakshadweep.

Picture: Credit: TFIPOST