‘Open call for murder’: 76 Supreme Court lawyers write to CJI on hate speech against Muslims

Seventy-six advocates of the Supreme Court on Sunday wrote to Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, asking him to take suo motu cognisance of the provocative speeches against Muslims at religious events held in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar city and Delhi, Live Law reported.

Last week, multiple videos emerged of Hindutva group members and seers calling for violence against Muslims during a “dharam sansad”, or a religious parliament, held in Haridwar city between December 17 and December 19. The speakers at the event asked Hindus to buy weapons to commit genocide against Muslims.

The event in Delhi was organised by Hindu Yuva Vahini. At the gathering, Suresh Chavhanke, the editor-in-chief of Sudarshan News, was seen administering an oath to a group of people to “die for and kill” to make India a “Hindu rashtra” or a Hindu nation.

In the letter sent on Sunday, the advocates told the chief justice of India that calls for an “ethnic cleansing” were made at the two events.

“The aforementioned events and the speeches delivered during the same are not mere hate speeches but amount to an open call for murder of an entire community,” the letter read.

The speeches of the speakers, the advocates said, posed a “grave threat not just to the unity and integrity of our country but…

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