Haridwar hate speech spoiling atmosphere in country, says SC

NEW DELHI: People who delivered hate speeches at the Haridwar Dharam Sansad event in December last year are “spoiling the whole atmosphere” of the country, the Supreme Court observed on Thursday.

“Spoiling the atmosphere. Stay together peacefully, enjoy life,” remarked a bench of justices Ajay Rastogi and Vikram Nath as it heard a bail plea of Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi, formerly Waseem Rizwi, who has been in prison since January for allegedly delivering hate speeches during the religious event in Haridwar last year. On December 23, Haridwar police registered their first case into the three-day Dharam Sansad held from December 17-19, which caused a furore on social media, as the participating religious leaders called for violence against minorities. Police named five people, including Tyagi, as accused in the case.

Tyagi, who is the main accused, was arrested on January 13. He approached the top court after his plea for bail was rejected by the Uttarakhand high court on March 8.

In his bail petition, Tyagi said the speech was delivered to seek reform. “We need to be sensitive to other citizens in the country,” senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, who appeared for Tyagi along with advocate Pulkit Srivastava, said.

The bench said: “Before they ask to sensitise others, they have to sensitise themselves first.”

The bench wanted to know the meaning of Dharam Sansad. “I am an Arya Samaji, I don’t know. I have seen videos, people in bhagwa kapdas (saffron clothes) got together and gave speeches,” Luthra said. “This is something which is spoiling the whole atmosphere,” the court said.

The bench, however, noted that the maximum punishment for the offence Tyagi is charged with is three years and he has been in jail since January.

“The investigation may have been completed. What further investigation do you need him for?” the court asked the state, as it sought a response and posted the matter for hearing on Tuesday.