Lakshadweep stir: Filmmaker Ayesha moves HC for anticipatory bail

Filmmaker Ayesha Sulthana, booked under sedition charges by the Lakshadweep police, on Monday (June 14) moved the Kerala High Court, seeking anticipatory bail.

In her plea, Sulthana said there is a possibility of her arrest if she reaches Kavaratti. The police have asked her to appear at Kavaratti police station on June 20.

Sulthana was booked on June 10 on sedition charges following a complaint by a BJP leader that she spread false news about the spread of COVID-19 in the Union Territory during a TV debate.

The complaint was filed by the BJP’s Lakshadweep unit president Abdul Khader. Sulthana belongs to Chetiath island in Lakshadweep.

Also read: Administrator’s laws put Lakshadweep in the middle of nowhere

According to the FIR lodged by the Kavaratti police, a case under sections 124 A (sedition) and 153 B (hate speech) of the Indian Penal code has been registered against the filmmaker.

In his complaint filed with the Kavaratti police on Wednesday (June 9), Khader said Sulthana, during a debate in a Malayalam TV channel, had alleged that the Central government used biological weapons for the spread of COVID-19 in Lakshadweep.

The BJP leader, in his complaint, has alleged that Sulthana’s was an anti-national act, which tarnished the “patriotic image” of the Central government. He sought action against her.

Also read: Politicians, celebs join protest against drastic ‘reforms’ in Lakshadweep

The BJP’s Lakshadweep unit had staged a protest in the islands seeking action against the filmmaker. Lakshadweep has been witnessing protests by various political parties since the administration started implementing reform measures in the islands.

Praful Khoda Patel, the Administrator of Lakshadweep Islands, has framed four controversial draft laws, including a proposal to ban beef, and stands firm on his proposals, saying they have been grossly misunderstood.

The draft laws have already been sent to the Union Home Ministry for examination, and will come into effect after Parliament and President give their approval. “All the draft proposals have been in the public domain for more than two months. Now the Central government will decide on ratification or any changes to the draft proposals. The approval will take some time as the priority of the government is to tackle COVID,” Patel has said.

Several BJP leaders in Lakshadweep, led by general secretary Abdul Hameed Mullipuzha, have resigned from the party’s primary membership in protest against Lakshadweep party president Abdul Khader’s sedition case against filmmaker Ayesha Sulthana.