New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India on Monday issued a notice on a petition filed by Communist Party of India (CPIM) leader Brinda Karat seeking the registration of an FIR against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma for allegedly delivering hate speeches in 2020. The bench comprising Justices KM Joseph and BV Nagarathna were hearing the special leave petition filed against the Delhi High Court’s order of dismissal of the Writ Petition filed by Karat against a trial court order that rejected her plea for registration of FIRs against the BJP leaders.
Karat's plea refers to various speeches made by the two politicians, including a speech given by Anurag Thakur at a rally on January 27, 2020, shouting the slogan "desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaron saalon ko". The plea also refers to another speech made by Parvesh Verma on January 27-28, 2020, while campaigning for the BJP and subsequently in an interview given to media.
Senior Advocate Siddharth Agarwal, appearing for Karat, pointed out that the Election Commission had taken action and barred them from campaigning for a certain amount of hours. The senior counsel also argued that the Delhi High Court had, in a collateral proceeding, commented adversely on speeches. However, the Magistrate refused to order the registration of the FIR, citing lack of sanction.
The plea alleges that the speeches threatened the use of force to remove protesters who were protesting at Shaheen Bagh in the wake of the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and promoted hatred and enmity against Muslims by portraying them as invaders who will enter houses and rape and kill people.
The Supreme Court observed that prima facie, the stand of the Magistrate that sanction is required to register the FIR in the case appears to be incorrect, while issuing a notice returnable in three weeks. The court has asked for the response of the respondents within the given timeframe.
