Chandigarh, July 15 -- The Punjab and Haryana High Court has held that sloganeering against the government or its wings of governance, by itself, is not sufficient to attract the offence of sedition.

The ruling came as a Division Bench of Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj and Justice Sukhvinder Kaur upheld the acquittal of persons booked in connection with the violence that broke out after the conviction of Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh in August 2017.

The Bench observed that such expression in an elected democracy was only a means of dissent and could not be equated with hatred, contempt or disaffection against the government. Dismissing the State's appeal against the Kaithal Sessions Judge judgment acquitting the accused, the ...