The Supreme Court ushers a glimmer of hope, not just in Jammu & Kashmir but across the nation. On Wednesday last, it dismissed a petition seeking sedition charges against former J&K Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah over his alleged remarks after the abrogation of Article 370.

“The expression of a view which is a dissent from a decision taken by the Central government itself cannot be said to be seditious”, said the two-judge bunch, adding “there is nothing in the statement which we find so offensive as to give a cause of action for a court to initiate proceedings.”

A fresh of breath air indeed, in this turbulent season of sedition cases under IPC’s 124A section being merrily slapped against political opponents, activists and journalists, by both the Centre and State governments. The judgement must be seen in the larger context and welcomed. But will the government join in? At least it must rethink whether this colonial legacy should continue in 2021 in the world’s largest democracy.

More so, as the apex court’s verdict comes on the heels of observations of a trial court in Delhi. Granting bail to 22-year-old activist Disha Ravi arrested in connection with the Toolkit FIR, it said: “offence of sedition cannot be invoked to minister to the wounded vanity of governments”. Need more be said.