As former Finance Minister P. Chidambaram on Thursday questioned Law Minister Kiren Rijiju’s Lakshman Rekha comment over the Supreme Court’s order to pause filing fresh cases under the sedition law, the Law Minister reminded the decisions taken by the Jawaharlal Nehru and the Indira Gandhi governments to strengthen the sedition law.
On Wednesday, after the court’s order about putting the sedition law in abeyance, Mr. Rijiju had said the powers of the executive, legislature and judiciary were demarcated and none should cross the “Lakshman Rekha”.
Responding to these remarks, Mr. Chidambaram said,“ The Law Minister of India has no authority to draw any arbitrary Lakshman Rekha. He should read Article 13 of the Constitution. The Legislature cannot make a law, nor can a law be allowed to remain on the statute book, that violates the Fundamental Rights”
