The question (13 marks)
Trace the two sedition trials of Bal Gangadhar Tilak. Set out the section under which he was tried, the direction given to the jury in the first trial and what became of the challenge to it, the change made to the penal law in 1898, and explain whether a prosecution on the same footing could be sustained today. (13 marks)
MU Module II, head 2.3.1; pack ch. 02, Tilak trials.
Plan your answer on paper before you look at the authorities — issue first, then the rule, then apply it to these facts.
It tests Unit 2 · Legal Concepts, Reading Judgments and Trials of Legal Writing and Legal Language.
Authorities you will need
- Indian Penal Code, s. 124A as originally framed, and s. 153A inserted by Act IV of 1898
- Kedar Nath Singh v State of Bihar
- Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita 2023, ss. 152 and 196
- Constitution of India, articles 19(1)(a) and 19(2)
How an answer is marked
A full-marks answer names the issue in one line, states the rule with its section, cites the authority, applies it to these facts and concludes — in that order. The app's model answer for this question is written in exactly that shape, with a checklist to mark your own attempt against.