Sushree Mohanty
Supreme Court has conceded security protection from coercive activity to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh in regards to hate speech cases filed against him in Uttar Pradesh.
However, the court has stated that he is not allowed to divide the society on lines of caste and religion.
Singh, who has been served with a non-bailable warrant (NBW) for claiming the Uttar Pradesh government supported and favoured a specific class of people in the society, has requested for clubbing and quashing of FIRs registered against him.
Following the remarks he made at a public press conference on August 12, 2020 a First Information Report was registered against him at Lucknow.
The Division bench comprising of Justices Ashok Bhushan and R S Reddy additionally gave notice to the UP government and sought for its answer on Singh’s petition for subduing multiple FIRs lodged against him for the case.
The bench remarked that “UP cops are not blocked from looking for endorse from Rajya Sabha administrator to arraign MP Sanjay Singh in the cases.”
During the proceeding, Senior Advocate Vivek Tankha and Advocate Sumeer Sodhi, representing on behalf of Singh, said that no procedure were followed by the police in registering the case and to prosecute or investigate the Rajya Sabha MP.
The bench said that it will not deliberate into the approval angle as of now but it does not indicate that no offense has been made out against Singh.
“The court understands that sanction to prosecute under section 197 Code of Criminal Procedure ought to have been taken from chairperson of Rajya Sabha.”, the judges added.
On February 2, the top court had dismissed the petition seeking protection for Singh against whom a non-bailable warrant (NBW) has been issued on account of a FIR filed against him in Lucknow,
The FIR was registered following the remarks he made at a press meet session a year ago.
The AAP leader has to the Supreme Court seeking to suppress the numerous FIRs filed against him in different districts of Uttar Pradesh after the press address saying they have been “maliciously instituted to unleash political vendetta”.
In another plea, Singh has likewise challenged the January 21, 2021 order passed by the Allahabad High Court which dismissed his request to quash the FIR against him in Lucknow.