A social activist has moved the Supreme Court asking for a sedition case to be filed against junior minister V.K. Singh for suggesting India had crossed the Line of Actual Control more often than China.

“Let me assure you, if China has transgressed 10 times, we must have done it at least 50 times,” Singh, a former army chief, has been quoted as saying. China had termed the statement “an unwitting confession” by India.

Tamil Nadu-based Chandrasekaran Ramasamy said that if Singh did not resign or was not removed, the court should “initiate suitable action against him as per the anti-national law” and set the standard for those in power on what to say and how to give statements “carefully and correctly”.

Ramasamy’s petition pleaded that Section 124A, dealing with sedition, be invoked.

Section 124A says: “Whoever, by words, either spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise, brings or attempts to bring into hatred or contempt, or excites or attempts to excite disaffection towards the Government established by law in India shall be punished with imprisonment….”

According to the petition, Singh’s comments are at variance with India’s official position. After the Galwan clash in which 20 Indian soldiers were killed last June, the government had said “the Indian side has never undertaken any actions across the LAC”.