Delhi High Court has dismissed the petition filed by CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat for registering a case against BJP leaders for hate speech. Brinda Karat had alleged that Union Minister Anurag Thakur and BJP MP Pravesh Sahib Singh Verma had given hate speech in the year 2020. For this, a case should be registered against both the leaders. The High Court has upheld the trial court’s decision.
However, in its decision, the High Court made strict remarks that the government should take strict action against the leaders-religious leaders giving hate speech. Karat, through the petition, had sought a direction to the Delhi Police to register an FIR against Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma under sections 153A 153B.
Karat had challenged the order of the trial court in October 2021, which had dismissed his plea on the ground that the requisite sanction was not obtained in the case. The trial court, in its order, said that for registering a case, the approval of the central government is necessary as per section 196 of the CrPC. Both are members of parliament. Therefore, the case cannot be registered without the approval of the Centre. On August 26, 2020, Rouse Avenue Court dismissed Brinda Karat’s petition. Against this order of the trial court, Brinda Karat had approached the High Court.
Anurag Thakur had raised slogans in a public meeting during the campaigning for the assembly elections in Delhi. Describing the people protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act as traitors of the country, he had raised the slogan that ‘shoot the traitors of the country… BJP MP Parvesh Verma compared Shaheen Bagh to the situation in Kashmir.
Parvesh had said that lakhs of people who are in Shaheen Bagh will one day enter your house, rape and rob your mother and sisters. The Election Commission took action on the statements of both. At first, both were ordered to be removed from the list of star campaigners of BJP. Later, Anurag Thakur was banned from campaigning for 72 hours and Parvesh Verma for 96 hours.