Supreme Court hears challenges to India's colonial-era sedition law

India's Supreme Court is hearing challenges to the colonial-era sedition law, Section 124A of the Indian Penal Code. Petitioners argue it stifles free speech. The law, drafted in 1837, criminalizes words or actions that bring hatred or contempt towards the government. It carries a penalty of imprisonment from three years to life and a fine. The Supreme Court previously upheld the law's constitutionality but noted its low conviction rates and potential for misuse. The UK abolished its sedition law in 2010.