A Review of Anti-Dissent Laws in India, Pakistan and Bangladesh

Abstract

India, Pakistan and Bangladesh were united during the era of British colonialism before they separated into new nations in the post-1947 developments. As a result, several laws in these countries find genesis in colonial times. One set of them are the anti-dissent laws which were framed by the erstwhile colonizers to scuttle any voice or movement that may snowball into a threat for the British raj. Interestingly, these penal provisions, especially the ones relating to sedition, continue to be administered in the same colonial form and spirit in all three countries even today. In fact, with the influx of technology and increasing avenues of public expression, these antidissent laws have got what we can call an upgradeʼ in the form of information technology related regulations. This paper attempts a broad overview of these developments in the light of the judicial discourse in the countries under examination.