Filmmaker Aisha Sultana Moves Kerala HC Seeking Anticipatory Bail In Sedition Case

Aisha Sultana case: The Lakshadweep-based filmmaker and activist approached the Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail in the sedition case filed against her by the Lakshadweep Police, news agency ANI reported. FIR was registered against her on sedition charges and hate speech earlier this week for her remarks about the handling of COVID-19 in the union territory.

The FIR against Sultana, reportedly the first woman director from Lakshadweep, was registered on June 10 after she, during a debate on a regional channel, said the Centre deployed COVID-19 as a "bio-weapon" against people of the islands.

Lakshadweep-based filmmaker Aisha Sultana approaches Kerala High Court seeking anticipatory bail in sedition case against her

FIR was registered against her on sedition charges after she, in a TV debate, said Centre deployed COVID as a 'bio weapon' against people of Lakshadweep

— ANI (@ANI) June 14, 2021

The complainant was Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Lakshadweep unit president C Abdul Khader Haji. 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.

Earlier, over a dozen BJP leaders in Lakshadweep had submitted their resignations calling the sedition case “false and unjustified”. Read all about the protests here.

Haji's complaint last week stated that the accused generated hatred for the Union government with ulterior motives. She was ordered to appear before the police on June 20.

A native of Lakshadweep’s Chetlat island, Sultana is currently settled in Kochi. In a recent Facebook post, she noted that it was through territory administrator Praful Patel and his entourage that the COVID-19 virus has widely spread in Lakshadweep.

"No longer will we, the people of Lakshadweep tolerate fascism," she wrote on the social media platform becoming the forefront of the campaign against the recently proposed legislation and controversial reform measures that have triggered anger amongst locals.

She claimed that all activists and locals will stand against "totalitarian policies" and they will survive this siege on Lakshadweep. "As long as fascism tries to discriminate, my voice will never abate," she lamented. After the case was registered against her, Sultana had said that she will keep fighting for her native land and her voice will “grow louder” from now on. More on the case against Aisha Sultana here.