HC seeks police, govt response on ‘hate speeches’ by leaders

NEW DELHI : The Delhi High Court on Thursday sought the response of Delhi Police and the AAP government on a fresh plea that alleged hate speeches were delivered by Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Salman Khurshid and the BJP’s Anurag Thakur and Kapil Mishra.

A bench of Chief Justice D N Patel and Justice C Hari Shankar issued notice to police and the Delhi government on the petition, which also sought registration of cases against those who allegedly gave the hate speeches.

The petition has sought setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) to assess the property damage in last month’s communal violence in northeast Delhi.

The bench asked the Delhi government and the police to file their replies by March 16 and listed the matter, along with all other similar pleas, for hearing on March 20. In the other matters related to hate speeches, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta sought time till March 16 to file a reply and it was granted by the court.

The other petitions regarding hate speech include one by activist Harsh Mander seeking registration of FIR against three BJP leaders for alleged hate speeches by them. Another plea filed by a group called Lawyers’ Voice sought registration of FIRs against political leaders, including Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi for allegedly making hate speeches.

CPI(M) leader Brinda Karat filed two petitions in the HC, one seeking directions to make public the list of persons arrested in connection with the Delhi riots and the other challenging a trial court order deferring a decision on her complaint seeking direction to police to lodge FIRs against BJP leaders who allegedly gave hate speeches.

The latest petition was filed by one Deepak Madan, who has sought the attachment of properties of people allegedly involved in giving hate speeches and suggested selling them off to compensate the victims of the communal violence in the national capital. It said the alleged hate speeches by political figures were not only defamatory but also provocative in nature and led to the communal riots last month.

HT contacted Delhi Govt and Delhi Police, but they did not respond. PTI

HT PHOTO Workers look for bodies at a drain in Chand Bagh. The four arrested men had allegedly killed four people in separate incidents and dumped the bodies at a different drain in Bhagirathi Vihar.