Now Reading: Athawale seeks sedition charges for reservation opponents
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Athawale seeks sedition charges for reservation opponents
Union minister Ramdas Athawale demanded sedition charges against those opposing or seeking abolition of caste-based reservation, calling such a stand anti-constitutional. His remarks came amid protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and social…
Union minister Ramdas Athawale demanded sedition charges against those opposing or seeking abolition of caste-based reservation, calling such a stand anti-constitutional. His remarks came amid protests at Delhi's Jantar Mantar and social media campaigns calling for reservation reforms. Delhi Police said no permission had been given for any gathering at the venue and warned people against assembling based on what it called misleading social media posts.
Athawale said reservation is a constitutional right and must continue as long as caste discrimination persists. He argued that those demanding abolition should first end the caste system. He also raised the Bodh Gaya Temple Management Committee issue, seeking eight Buddhist trustees instead of the current four Hindus and four Buddhists. Several Buddhist monks said they would begin a five-day hunger strike in Patna to press this demand.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The demand to try reservation opponents under sedition revives a provision the Supreme Court has repeatedly narrowed. In 2022, the court stayed use of the colonial-era Section 124A pending a review of its constitutionality, though it remains on the statute book. Athawale's call on the Bodh Gaya temple touches a long-standing grievance: the 1949 Bodh Gaya Temple Act gave equal Hindu and Buddhist representation at a site Buddhists consider their most sacred. Bihar's government has not signalled a change. The 2029 Lok Sabha election timeline Athawale invoked is still three years away, making his prediction a speculative political statement rather than a near-term event.
Source: indiatoday.in
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
