Kerala High Court grants protection from arrest to Lakshadweep filmmaker Aisha Sultana in sedition case
A single-judge bench of Justice Ashok Menon while passing the order, instructed Sultana to cooperate with the investigation and appear before the Lakshadweep Police for interrogation as required under Section 41A of Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC)
The Kerala High Court on Thursday granted interim protection from arrest for a week to Lakshadweep filmmaker Aisha Sultana in the sedition case registered against her over her “bioweapon” remark during a television debate earlier this month.
A single-judge bench of Justice Ashok Menon also directed Sultana to cooperate with the investigation and appear before the police in Lakshadweep for interrogation as required under Section 41A of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The court also reserved its judgment in the plea by Aisha Sultana seeking anticipatory bail.
The Lakshadweep administration has opposed Aisha Sultana’s anticipatory bail application. Aisha Sultana’s bail application is not maintainable as the Lakshadweep-based filmmaker has not given any precise reason for any genuine and bonafide “reason to believe” that she will be arrested, the administration said in a statement filed in the Kerala High Court.
Aisha Sultana has defended herself and said she did not attack the country or the Union government. “I was referring to some of the decisions of Patel which infuriated local people. Despite popular sentiment, he continues to antagonise people. As a local resident, I have every right to criticise him,” she said in a Facebook post.
