Chandigarh, July 15 -- The Punjab and Haryana high court has held that sloganeering against the government or wings of governance, in an elected democracy, would not be sufficient to slap charges of sedition against its citizens.

"Frustration, dissatisfaction, or even outrage does not amount to disaffection or hatred. The court is hence required to ensure that when the charge is grave and the punishment is harsh, the existence of its ingredients must be strictly established. The evidence on record is merely suggestive of slogans against the government, which is only a means of expressing dissent and not hatred, contempt, or disaffection," the bench of justice Vinod S Bhardwaj and justice Sukhvinder Kaur said while upholding the acquittal...