Hate Speech: Delhi HC Dismisses Plea For FIR Against BJP Leaders Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma

Justice Chandra Dhari Singh, who had reserved the verdict earlier on March 25, pronounced the order in this regard.

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Monday dismissed a plea by CPI (M) leaders Brinda Karat and K.M. Tiwari challenging the trial court’s refusal to direct the registration of an FIR against Union Minister Anurag Thakur and his Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) colleague and Member of Parliament Parvesh Verma for their alleged hate speeches concerning the anti- Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protest at Shaheen Bagh in the national capital, news agency PTI reported.

Justice Chandra Dhari Singh, who had reserved the verdict earlier on March 25, pronounced the order in this regard.

Earlier on August 26, 2021, the trial court had dismissed the petitioners’ plea seeking registration of FIR on the ground that it was not sustainable as the requisite sanction from the competent authority, the Centre, was not obtained.

The petitioners had before the High Court claimed that a cognisable offence was made out against the two leaders in the present case and that an FIR should be lodged against them for their alleged hate speeches concerning the anti-CAA protest at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh.

The petitioners had said that they were only asking the police to probe the matter.

Defending the trial court order, the Delhi Police had earlier said it rightly held that it does not have jurisdiction to deal with the case and referred to the Supreme Court’s judgements which said that if a judge is saying he does not have jurisdiction, he should not comment on merits and that is the right approach.

The petitioners had in their complaint before the trial court claimed that the two BJP leaders had sought to incite people as a result of which three incidents of firing took place at two different protest sites in the national capital.

They had mentioned that Thakur had at the Rithala rally in Delhi earlier on January 27, 2020, egged on the crowd to raise an incendiary slogan shoot the traitors after lashing out at anti-CAA protesters.

The CPI (M) leaders had further claimed that Verma, the MP from West Delhi Lok Sabha constituency, had on January 28, 2020, allegedly made incendiary comments against the anti-CAA protesters in Shaheen Bagh.