A plea was filed in the Supreme Court today over alleged misuse of penal law on sedition by the Centre and various states, claiming that students, scribes and intellectuals involved in social activities were being prosecuted on a "routine" basis.

The petition, which is likely to come up for hearing next week, sought the apex court's intervention to address the "misuse" of section 124 A (sedition) of the IPC contending that such a charge was being framed with a view to "instill fear and scuttle dissent".

"There has been an increase in the number of cases of sedition against intellectuals, activists, students, with the latest being the sedition charge on Amnesty India for organising a debate on Kashmir," the plea, filed by NGO Common Cause, said.