Sedition Cases Double Since 2016, Jharkhand Records Maximum: NCRB Data 2018

The latest data released by the National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) showed that the number of sedition cases registered across the country have doubled from 35 in 2016 to 70 in 2018.

Jharkhand recorded the maximum sedition cases (18) while Assam registered the maximum list of offenders with 27 persons booked in 17 cases.

Jammu and Kashmir, the state that was bifurcated into two Union Territories, witnessed a sharp increase in sedition cases in 2018, with 12 cases in 2018 as compared to just one in 2017.

Kerala (9) and Manipur (4) also made it to the top 5 in the list of 2018.

In 2017, 51 sedition cases were registered. However, In 2018, almost 50 percent of the cases were lodged under various sections related to “offences against the state.”

This rise in sedition cases comes at a time when cases lodged under sections linked to “offences against the state” experienced a decline in 2018, from 178 in 2016, 160 in 2017 and 149 in 2018. Offences under IPC sections 121, 121A, 122 & 123, dealing with waging war against the nation, have also registered a decline, from 143 in 2016 to 109 in 2017 and 79 in 2018.

In 2017, 901 offences under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA) were registered, which increased to 1,182 in 2018.

18 cases were registered in 2017 under the Official Secrets Act (OSA), which increased to 40 in 2018.

Under UAPA, the maximum offences were registered by Assam (308) followed by Manipur (289), J&K (245) and Jharkhand (137).

In 2017, the highest number of such cases was registered by Manipur (330), followed by J&K (156) and UP (109).

Maharashtra registered the highest number (16) of cases under the OSA, followed by UP (7) and Punjab (5) in 2018. In 2017, the maximum number of such cases was registered by Rajasthan (4), and UP (3).

The NCRB report of 2018 has been delayed by at least six months after the 2017 edition was released almost a year late as the bureau had added new data and many states had not provided proper data or replied to the clarifications sought.

In the latest report as well, some states, such as Bihar and West Bengal, have not responded to clarifications sought by NCRB and their data is “provisional.”

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