Haridwar hate speech case: Supreme Court asks Uttarakhand to file status report
Hindutva supremacists had called for violence against Muslims at a religious conclave held in the city in December.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday asked the Uttarakhand government to file a status report in connection with the hate speeches made against Muslims at a religious conclave held in Haridwar last year, Live Law reported.
The Uttarakhand government told the court that the police have registered four first information reports in the hate speech case and filed chargesheets in three of them. It sought time to file a counter affidavit.
At the “dharam sansad”, or religious parliament, held in Haridwar between December 17 and December 19, Hindutva supremacists had called upon Hindus to buy weapons to commit genocide against Muslims. Seer Yati Narsinghanand had called upon Hindus to pick up weapons, asserting that the “economic boycott” of Muslims will not work.
The bench headed by Justice AM Khanwilkar was also hearing an application filed in view of another religious conclave being organised in Himachal Pradesh on April 17.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioners, asked the court to cancel the event to be held in Himachal Pradesh.
“I cannot even read out the kind of things that are being said at such events,” he said. “Cannot read them out in public.”
The Supreme Court then asked the Pushkar Singh Dhami government to file its report before the next hearing on April 22. The court also allowed the petitioners to inform the district administration about the Himachal Pradesh event.
The petition has been filed by former Patna High Court judge Anjana Prakash and journalist Qurban Ali.
The petition said that the “hate speeches consisted of open calls for genocide of Muslims in order to achieve ethnic cleansing,” The Hindu reported.
It added: “It is pertinent to note that the said speeches are not mere hate speeches but amount to an open call for murder of an entire community. The 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”.
The petition has been filed in connection with the hate speeches made at the religious conclave in Delhi too.
In the Delhi event organised by Hindutva group Hindu Yuva Vahini, attendees had taken oath to “die for and kill” to make India a Hindu nation.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India NV Ramana had issued notice on the petition on January 12, asking Uttarakhand to respond to the petition seeking action against hate speeches.
