The Punjab and Haryana High Court has upheld the acquittal of four men in a 2017 arson case, observing that mere participation in a violent protest or raising slogans against the government does not constitute sedition.
A bench of Justices Vinod S. Bhardwaj and Sukhvinder Kaur dismissed an appeal by the Haryana government against a 2019 trial court verdict. The case involved the alleged attack on an Uttar Haryana Bijli Vitran Nigam office in Kalayat on August 25, 2017, following the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh.
The court noted that the prosecution failed to prove the accused's presence at the scene. No prosecution witnesses named the respondents in the FIR, and no test identification parade was held. Forensic reports also found no traces of petrol on burnt items despite claims of petrol bottles being used.
The bench stated that a violent protest may amount to rioting but does not equate to bringing hatred or contempt against the government. It added that sloganeering against the government in a democracy expresses dissent rather than disaffection.
The High Court affirmed the acquittal under sections including 124-A of the IPC, citing substantial contradictions and lack of reliable evidence in the prosecution case.
