Delhi HC junks Brinda Karat’s plea against Anurag Thakur for alleged hate speech

New Delhi, June 13 (IANS) The Delhi High Court on Monday turned down a plea moved by CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat challenging a trial court order which refused to file an FIR against Union minister Anurag Thakur and BJP MP Parvesh Verma for their alleged hate speeches during the 2020 anti-CAA protests.

Refusing to entertain the plea, Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said that the petitioner failed to follow the prescribed mechanism under the Code of Criminal Procedure.

In August 2020, Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Vishal Pahuja had dismissed the left leader’s application, filed under Section 156 (3) of the Code of Criminal Procedure for the lack of previous sanction.

CPI-M leaders Brinda Karat and K.M. Tiwari had filed the application seeking direction from the Parliament Street police station to file an FIR against the two for promoting enmity, acts intended to outrage religious feelings, and criminal intimidation.

“There is no previous sanction obtained by the complainants from the competent authority (Central government) to prosecute the respondents for the offences alleged in the complaint. Hence, in view of the settled position of law, the complaint deserves to be dismissed being not tenable in the eyes of law,” the court noted.

The application was filed after an inflammatory slogan “desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maaro s*** ko” (shoot the traitors) was raised at a public rally addressed by Thakur on January 27, 2020 in Delhi. Parvesh Verma had also allegedly passed inflammatory remarks.

–IANS

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