Mitali Palnitkar
Published On: January 10, 2022 at 18:42 IST
The request to hear a Petition which sought the Arrest and Trial of people who delivered hate speeches at Haridwar Dharm Sansad was accepted by the Supreme Court. The hate speeches were made against the Muslim community and incited violence towards them.
The Bench comprised of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli.
The Oral mentioning of the Petition was made Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal before the Bench and he was assured that the Petition filed by Senior Advocate Anjana Prakash and Journalist Qurban Ali would be heard without any delay.
Advocate Sibal stated, “We are living in different times where slogans in the country have changed from Satyamev Jayate to Shastramev Jayate.”
The CJI questioned Mr Sibal whether there was any ongoing enquiry into the Case; to which he replied, “The FIRs have been filed, no arrests have been done. This is in the State of Uttarakhand. No action will be taken without the intervention of Your Lordships.” The CJI assured that the Court would look into the matter.
The Plea stated, “It is pertinent to note that the said speeches are not mere hate speeches but amount to an open call for the murder of an entire community. The said speeches thus, pose a grave threat not just to the unity and integrity of our country but also endanger the lives of millions of Muslim citizens.”
It was alleged that the hate speeches were made by Yati Narsinghanand in Haridwar and by Hindu Yuva Vahini in Delhi between December 17 & 19, 2021.
The Petition filed sought Probe by a Special Investigation Team which shall be independent, credible and impartial.