Uttarakhand’s government has been issued a notice by the SC in the Haridwar hate speech case. Petitioners in the case pointed out that orders had been issued in previous judgments ordering nodal officers to take action against such gatherings. It appears that no nodal officer has been appointed in this case, according to petitioners. According to them, the Supreme Court’s orders have not been followed.
Speaking on behalf of the petitioners, senior lawyer Kapil Sibal said that more Dharam Sansads would be announced soon. ‘Something needs to be done before the next Sansad,’ he said. During the three-day ‘Dharam Sansad’ or religious assembly held in Uttarakhand’s Haridwar from December 17 to December 19, provocative and communal speeches were made against minority communities. As they gave a clarion call for a ‘Hindu nation,’ several Hindu religious leaders invited the community to take up arms against Muslims.
Yati Narsinghanand is reported to have said that arming the Hindu brigade with bigger and better weapons would be the ‘solution’ against the ‘threat of Muslims’. 76 Supreme Court lawyers had also written to Chief Justice of India NV Ramana to seek suo motu cognizance of the ‘hate speech’ and calls for ‘ethnic cleansing’ at two religious events held recently in Delhi and Haridwar.
The matter needs to be heard urgently, Sibal told the court. ‘More Dharam Sansads have been announced in Una, Dasna, and Aligarh at a time when elections are taking place in the state. This will vitiate the atmosphere. This is an incitement of violence. Preventive detention law is there to prevent exactly such a thing,’ he added. The case was heard by a three-judge bench consisting of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli, who demanded an investigation into the hate speeches directed toward Muslims at the Haridwar Dharam Sansad.
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