Delhi HC to hear plea seeking registration of FIR against BJP leaders for hate speech

The Delhi High Court will on Thursday hear the plea seeking registration of FIR against BJP leaders Kapil Mishra, Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma for allegedly making hate speeches.

The hearing will be held before the bench of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice C Harishankar.

A division bench of Justice Muralidhar and Justice Talwant Singh had heard the matter on Wednesday.

The Delhi High Court had expressed concern over the delay in action by the law enforcement agencies in containing violence in north-east Delhi, which claimed at least 25 lives and left around 200 injured.

"How many more lives have to be lost? How many properties have to be destroyed," asked the High Court, while questioning the delay in action by the law enforcement agencies.

The High Court on Wednesday directed the Delhi Police to examine the videos related to hate speeches by political leaders, which allegedly led to violence in northeast Delhi, and take a decision in the matter.

The High Court directed the Special Commissioner of Police to sit with the Commissioner in view of all these clips and make a conscious decision and convey it to the court by 2:15 pm on Thursday.

The court also enquired about the name of the police officer who is seen standing beside Kapil Mishra in the video.

The videos of alleged hate speech by Union Minister of State for Finance Anurag Thakur, BJP MP Parvesh Verma, and Delhi BJP MLA Abhay Verma were also played in the courtroom.

Advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for the petitioner Harsh Mander, argued that these people are the senior leaders of their political parties and said this is not just an opinion but the government policy.

On the prayer of Army's deployment in the violence-affected area, the court said that it doesn't want to enter into the question of Army deployment and shifted the focus on the issue of registration of FIR.

"How did they select just three clips out of thousands of clips being circulated on the line? What is this selective outrage?... Please do not allow demoralisation of the forces. What do they think the police are doing? Are they at the protest site for a picnic?" said Solicitor General Tushar Mehta.

Mehta said that the petitioner is unable to define why this petition is focusing on particularly these three video clips.

The Delhi Police informed the court that 11 FIRs have been registered in connection with the violence and they will examine all aspects of the violence.