Telangana court acquits AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi in hate speech case

The court stated that there was no evidence of hate speech against Owaisi and advised him not to make controversial remarks in the future. The court also made it clear that controversial remarks should not be made in view of the sovereignty of the country.

Hyderabad: A court here on Wednesday acquitted AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi in the "hate speech" cases filed against him a decade ago. The special sessions court for trial of MPs/MLAs in Nampally pronounced the verdict. Akbaruddin Owaisi, floor leader of AIMIM in the Telangana Legislative Assembly, facing cases for his alleged hate speeches, was present in the court when the judgement on his acquittal was delivered.

The court stated that there was no evidence of hate speech against Owaisi and advised him not to make controversial remarks in the future. The court also made it clear that controversial remarks should not be made in view of the sovereignty of the country.

Akbaruddin, the younger brother of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) chief and Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, was booked under different sections of the Indian Penal Code for making "hate" speeches wherein he allegedly used inflammatory and derogatory language against a community. He allegedly made objectionable remarks during his public speeches delivered at Telangana's Nizamabad and Nirmal town.

What is the case?

A case was filed against Owaisi for making hate speeches in Nizamabad on December 8, 2012, and in Nirmal on December 22, 2012. Nirmal and Nizamabad police registered FIRs in the case on January 2, 2013. On January 8, 2013, Owaisi was arrested and shifted to Nirmal from Hyderabad.

Owaisi was produced in front of a judge and was sentenced to 40 days in jail. He was subsequently released on bail on February 16, 2013. On January 1, 2013, the then government transferred the cases registered in Nizamabad, Osmania University police station and Delhi to the Crime Investigation Department (CID) while the Nirmal case was investigated by the district police. A total of 41 witnesses were examined in the Nizamabad case while 33 people were examined in the Nirmal case. The CID and the Nirmal police filed the chargesheet in 2016, identifying Akbaruddin Owaisi as the first accused in the case.

(With agency inputs)