New Delhi : The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday issued notice to the State of Uttarakhand in a PIL seeking criminal action with respect to the Haridwar Dharm Sansad conclave where hate speeches against Muslims were made.
The bench, headed by Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana, also allowed the petitioners, a former high court judge and a journalist, to approach local authorities with their plea to stop a similar event, which is scheduled to take place in Aligarh on January 23.
The court posted the matter for hearing after 10 days. The petitioners have sought a direction for “an independent, credible and impartial investigation” by an special investigation team (SIT) into the incidents of hate speeches against a community.
The Supreme Court had agreed on Monday to hear the PIL after the matter was mentioned before the CJI by senior advocate Kapil Sibal. The lawyer pointed out that no arrests have been made in the case.
The hate-filled ‘Dharam Sansad’ ran from 17-19 December 2021 and was organised by Hindutva leader Yati Narsinghanand, notorious priest of the Dasna Devi temple in Ghaziabad and recently anointed ‘Mahamandaleshwar’ of the Juna Akhara.
The event saw explicit calls for genocide and ethnic cleansing from several right-wing Hindu leaders, recorded on video and shared widely.
