Comments on social media: SC grants protection from arrest to singer Neha Singh Rathore
The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim protection from arrest to folk singer Neha Singh Rathore in a case filed against her over a social media post on the Pahalgam terror attack.
The said comments allegedly targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP in connection with the killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Atul S Chandurkar issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh Government and the complainant in the case, and said no coercive steps shall be taken against her. The top court directed Rathore to appear before the Investigating Officer and cooperate in the probe.
The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on December 5 last year had rejected the anticipatory bail plea filed by the folk singer.
It had been observed that Rathore had not cooperated with the investigation despite directions issued by an earlier bench that had dismissed her petition seeking quashing of the FIR. The FIR against Rathore was registered at Hazratganj police station in Lucknow on April 27, and the investigation is underway.
The FIR accused Rathore of targeting a particular religious community and threatening the unity of the country. She challenged the FIR filed against her by one Abhay Pratap Singh at the Hazratganj Police Station in the last week of April. Singh accused Rathore of having “repeatedly attempted to incite one community against another on religious grounds.”
Rathore contended in her plea that she had been wrongfully implicated under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including promoting communal hatred, disturbing public peace, and endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India.
She also faces charges under the Information Technology Act.
