HC to decide on plea for FIR against BJP MPs today

Petition seeks FIRs for ‘hate speech’

The Delhi High Court is likely to pronounce today its verdict on a plea seeking the registration of an FIR against Union Minister leader Anurag Thakur and his BJP colleague and Lok Sabha MP Parvesh Verma, for their alleged hate speeches against anti-CAA protesters.

Justice Chandra Dhari Singh had reserved his order on March 25 on the petition by the CPI (M) leader Brinda Karat, who had sought an FIR against Mr. Thakur and Mr. Verma, arguing that a cognisable offence was made out against them.

Ms. Karat had challenged an August 26, 2020 order of a trial court here which had rejected her plea. The trial court had in its order stated that a prior sanction of the Central government was required as per section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) at the stage of ordering of registration of FIRs, as both Mr. Thakur and Mr. Verma were Members of Parliament.

The CPI (M) leader had sought registration of an FIR against the two BJP leaders under sections 153A (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code.

Highlighting allegedly provocative statements delivered by Mr. Thakur and Mr. Verma against the anti-CAA protesters at Shaheen Bagh, Ms. Karat had claimed that a cognisable offence was made out against the two.

Ms. Karat had approached the trial court after her written complaints to the Commissioner of Police and the SHO, Parliament Street police station, did not elicit any response. Her plea stated that the judicial recourse had been barred by the trial court without considering that the very State that was “supportive” of two leaders would also function as the Sanctioning Authority.