NEW DELHI - A case has been filed against Indian actress Ramya for contradicting the Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar who said that "going to Pakistan is like going to hell."

Sedition charges against south Indian film actress and former parliamentarian Ramya Spandana for her alleged anti-national remarks have prompted an outcry among her supporters and the general public alike in India. Ramya has been charged of sedition for "praising Pakistan" and "insulting Indian patriots".

Advocate Katnamane Vittala Gowda filed the charges at a court in Somwarpet of Karnataka. The hearing will commence on August 27.

Ramya, who had recently been to Pakistan to attend the first SAARC Young Parliamentarians Conference in Islamabad, had sought to contradict a statement made by the defence minister.

"People there are just like us and there is no difference. They treated us very well," she said. There were some sporadic protests against Ramya in Karnataka who refused to apologise for her remarks.

Nevertheless, Ramya garnered support from a section of leading social activists who have condemned the sedition charges.

The 33-year-old Kannada filmstar, a former lawmaker of Karnataka's ruling Congress, has also been attacked on social media.

"I will not apologise as I have done nothing wrong. I am entitled to my views and that is what democracy is about," Ramya told NDTV, alleging that sedition laws are misused against "anybody and everybody".

"I can say sorry, it is the easiest thing for me, but if I do it in this case, the purpose is lost.

Right now I really need to stand up for myself...What I said is harmless," she commented. Karnataka's Congress government is wading in criticism over a sedition case against rights watchdog Amnesty International over a Kashmir-related event last week where slogans of "Azadi" (freedom) were raised.