HC grants protection from arrest to former UP governor Qureshi

PRAYAGRAJ: The Allahabad high court on Friday granted protection from arrest to former Uttar Pradesh (UP) governor Aziz Qureshi, who was booked for sedition last month for allegedly making derogatory remarks against chief minister Yogi Adityanath.

The bench comprising Justice Pritinker Diwaker and Justice Mohd Aslam passed the above order in a petition filed by Qureshi seeking quashing of FIR (First Information Report) filed against him by local Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Akash Kumar Saxena at the Civil Lines police station in Rampur district on September 5.During the hearing, the state counsel requested the court that he may be given three days’ time to seek instructions and to summon the case diary.

Senior advocate Salman Khurshid appeared for the petitioner through video conference and said that he had no objection to this proposition.

He submitted, “Considering the facts and background of the case and the facts that the petitioner is a former governor of Uttar Pradesh, including two other states, had held various important assignments, one of the most prominent figures of the country and an old aged person of about 82 years, be protected by some interim order, so that he may not suffer an irreparable injury and may not be harassed.”

On this, the bench fixed October 6 as the next date of hearing and observed, “At the request of state counsel, list this case on 6.10.2021. Considering the facts and circumstances of the case, protection from arrest to the petitioner is granted till the next date of hearing.”

In his complaint against Qureshi, Akash Kumar Saxena had alleged that after visiting Azam Khan’s house and meeting his wife, Qureshi made derogatory statements against the state government and these could create tension between two communities.

Qureshi was booked under Sections 153A (promoting enmity between two groups on grounds of religion, race), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 124A (sedition), and 505(1)(B) (intent to cause fear or alarm to the public) of the Indian Penal Code. Qureshi had served as the governor of Mizoram from 2014 to 2015. He also had charge of Uttar Pradesh for some time in June 2014.