Actor-politician Ramya faces sedition charges for praising Pakistan.
Actor turned politician Ramya faces sedition charges after a Karnataka-based advocate lodged a complaint against her for praising Pakistan. On Tuesday, Ramya reiterated her stand and said she would not apologise.
The actor spoke to ANI and said, "It's really sad but such is the situation in the country today. Everybody is entitled to their views and that is what democracy is about, you can't force your ideology on anyone."
According to reports, referring to Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar's statement that "going to Pakistan is like going to hell", Ramya had said that "Pakistan is not hell. People are just like us. They treated us very well". The Kannada actor, whose name is Divya Spandana but is known as Ramya, was recently in Islamabad to attend a SAARC Young Parliamentarians Conference.
A complaint against her has been filed by a K Vittal Gowda, a Coorg- based advocate, under Section 200 of Cr.Pc in the first Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) court in Somwarpet.
Addressing the complaint registered against her comments, she said, "I respectfully disagree, Pakistan is not hell, people there are just like us. Politicians want to polarise and spread hatred. Just because borders separate us we shouldn't hate others. It's freedom of speech, also our duty to speak on inclusiveness and peace. Curbing freedoms is wrong in democracy."
The former Congress MP also reiterated her stand and said, "I don't think I'm wrong. I also love Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. Of course, I won't leave India. It's my home and I am not going to leave my dogs."
On whether she would apologise for her statements, Ramya said, "I don’t have ego at all and in any given incident I would have apologised, but if I do it in this case, the larger cause we're fighting for would go."
In his complaint, Gowda has accused Ramya of insulting India and provoking Indians by appreciating Pakistan and has requested the court to register a case against the actor under Sections 124A of the IPC, which deals with sedition, besides other charges, News18 reported. A hearing has been scheduled for August 27.
The report also said that, in a media statement, Ramya refused to apologise for her comment and said that she had done nothing wrong. Ramya has been attacked on social media sites for her remarks.
With ANI inputs.
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