The use of the Sedition Act 1948 surged in 2025, with 36 cases recorded, compared with 19 in 2024, an 84% increase, according to the Centre for Independent Journalism (CIJ).
In its “Freedom of Expression (FOE) Report 2025”, CIJ said political critics and student activists were increasingly targeted under the law.
It also noted a broader trend of rising investigations and arrests under restrictive speech laws, from 189 cases in 2024 to 233 this year.
“We have 36 monitored incidents involving 42 individuals, with political critics and student activists representing 14% each,” Irfan Naveen, CIJ’s monitoring and action programme officer, told a press conference on the report’s launch today.
Irfan said the Communications and Multimedia Act (CMA) remained the most frequently used law against…