Hate speech: FIR filed for promoting enmity, hurting religious sentiments, Delhi police tells SC

The Delhi Police has told the Supreme Court that it has registered a First Information Report (FIR) in the alleged hate speech case relating to Delhi Dharam Sansad.

In a fresh affidavit, the Delhi Police said that an "investigation will be carried out as per law".

It said the FIR has been registered for offences under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between religious groups), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 298 (uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) at Okhla industrial area, South East Delhi district.

The fresh affidavit of the Delhi Police was filed on a plea filed by former High Court judge and senior advocate Anjana Prakash and journalist Qurban Ali seeking an independent probe into the alleged hate speech targeting the Muslim community delivered at the Dharm Sansad in Haridwar and Delhi.

Earlier, the top court expressed dissatisfaction at the affidavit filed by the Delhi Police which stated that there were no instances of hate speech against the Muslim community at the event of Hindu Yuva Vahini held in Delhi held on December 19 last year and asked it to file a "better affidavit".

After that Delhi Police had conceded before the bench that it needs to have a relook at its affidavit and will file a fresh affidavit.

In its affidavit, the Delhi police had said that "no specific words against any particular community were used. It had also submitted that the speech by Sudarshan News TV Editor Suresh Chavhanke at the Hindu Yuva Vahini event in Delhi's Govindpuri did not amount to hate speech since none of the words used in the speech by Chavhanke could create an environment of paranoia against any religion."

The plea had stated that between December 17 and 19, 2021, at two separate events organised in Delhi (by the Hindu Yuva Vahini) and Haridwar (by Yati Narsinghanand), hate speeches were made, consisting of open calls for genocide of Muslims in order to achieve ethnic cleansing.

The plea had said that it is relevant to note that no action has been taken by the Uttarakhand and Delhi Police in relation to the event held there despite the fact that open calls for genocide, that are available on the internet, were made therein.

The plea had also highlighted a video which had gone viral where a police officer was seen acknowledging his allegiance to the offenders.

( With inputs from ANI )

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