Aisha Sultana                                                                                                         

HRD and Film director 

Lakshadweep

HRDA has issued an urgent appeal to the National Human Rights Commission of India on June 17, 2021 regarding the sedition charge against Ms. Aisha Sultana for expressing her view against the Lakshadweep administrator on a TV debate. Ms. Sultana is an actor, model and the first independent women film director from the Lakshadweep. She has been at the forefront of peaceful citizen campaigns against the controversial reforms and proposed legislation in Lakshadweep. 

Lakshadweep’s recent administrator Mr. Praful Khoda Patel has come out with multiple reforms to the Union Territory which will impact the life, culture and livelihood of the local population. There has been widespread protest and opposition from the local population of the Union Territory against the reforms. They feel the motives of the Administrator is to destroy traditional life and cultural diversity of people of Lakshadweep. 

The Kavaratti police has filed an FIR against Ms. Sultana under sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 B (hate speech) based on a complaint filed by the BJP Lakshadweep unit president. He filed the complaint after Ms. Sultana in a TV debate criticised the acts of the Administrator called him a bio-weapon who responsible for increasing Covid cases on the island after he lifted the mandatory quarantine requirement for people entering the UT. 

Lakshadweep police charging Ms. Sultana with sedition is an attempt to silence her and other HRDs for questioning the mismanagement of COVID-19 and other actions of the administrator. This is in clear violation of Article 19 of the Indian Constitution which guarantees freedom of speech and expression to every citizen. It also runs contrary to the guidelines laid by the Supreme Court of India, which clearly states that no strongly worded comment can be considered as sedition unless it incites violence.