The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Centre, the Delhi Police and the Uttarakhand Police to respond to a plea seeking direction to ensure investigation and action against those who allegedly made hate speeches during two events held recently in Haridwar and Delhi.
A bench headed by Chief Justice NV Ramana, which agreed to hear the plea and issued notice on it, permitted the petitioners to make representation to the local authorities against holding of future ‘Dharam Sansad’ events there. The bench, also comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli, posted the matter for hearing after 10 days.
The apex court was hearing a petition filed by journalist Qurban Ali and former Patna High Court judge and senior advocate Anjana Prakash, who have also sought a direction for an “independent, credible and impartial investigation” by an SIT into the incidents of hate speeches against the Muslim community. After the bench said it was issuing notice and listed it for hearing after 10 days, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing the petitioners, said the only problem is that in the meantime a “Dharam Sansad” is going to be held on January 23 in Aligarh and they don’t want it to happen.
The apex court permitted petitioners to bring it to the notice of local authorities about such event, which are going to take place, and which according to the petitioners, are contrary to the penal law. The plea, which specifically referred to the “hate speeches” delivered between the “17th and 19th of December 2021 at Haridwar and Delhi”, has also sought compliance of apex court’s guidelines to deal with such speeches.
The Uttarakhand Police had filed an FIR on December 23 last year under various provisions of the Indian Penal Code against some persons, including Sant Dharamdas Maharaj, Sadhvi Annapoorna alias Pooja Shakun Pandey, Yati Narsinghanand and Sagar Sindhu Maharaj. A similar complaint was filed with the Delhi Police for the second event organised in the national Capital. The plea said that no effective steps have been taken by Uttarakhand and Delhi police.