India News | Hate Speeches Issue: Petitioners Write to Aligarh DM, Seek Preventive Action over Proposed Event
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. The petitioners in the hate speeches case in Supreme Court have written to the Aligarh district magistrate, urging the official to take preventive action to ensure that no speeches of the nature that were made at the Haridwar 'dharam sansad' are allowed at a proposed event in Aligarh.
New Delhi, Jan 13 (PTI) The petitioners in the hate speeches case in Supreme Court have written to the Aligarh district magistrate, urging the official to take preventive action to ensure that no speeches of the nature that were made at the Haridwar 'dharam sansad' are allowed at a proposed event in Aligarh.
The Supreme Court Wednesday asked the Centre, Delhi Police and Uttarakhand Police to respond to a plea seeking direction to ensure investigation and action against those who allegedly made hate speeches during two events held recently in Haridwar and the national capital.
While issuing notice on the plea, a bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana had said the petitioners are at liberty to make a representation to the concerned local authorities regarding such events, after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the petitioners, said a 'dharam sansad' is scheduled in Aligarh.
ibal, senior counsel, had submitted that some more events are being planned, in which there may be a possibility of certain inflammatory speeches.
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If that is so, the petitioners are at liberty to make a representation to, or bring it to the notice of, the local authorities concerned, said the bench, also comprising justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli.
Noting that they are writing to the Aligarh district magistrate pursuant to the liberty granted by the order of the Supreme Court, the petitioners, in their letter, said that another 'dharam sansad' is being organised now in Aligarh on January 22-23, wherein the speakers who participated in the aforementioned events held between December 17-19 are likely to be speaking again.
"The responsibility to take preventive measures to prevent any possible incident of mob violence therefore falls on the district administration, and you are in charge of the administration in Aligarh, so the responsibility falls on your shoulders to take preventive action to ensure no speeches of this nature are made," the letter by the petitioners said.
The petitioners also wrote to the Haridwar district magistrate, saying there are news reports now that the Shankaracharya Parishad seers announced on January 6, 2021, a protest meeting to be held on January 16, 2022 against the first information report (FIR) registered against speakers at the December 17-19 meeting of the dharam sansad.
"The responsibility to take preventive measures to prevent any possible incident of mob violence therefore falls on the district administration, and you are in charge of the administration in Haridwar, so the responsibility falls on your shoulders to take preventive action to ensure no speeches of this nature are made," the petitioners said.
The top court in its order had said Wednesday, "Issue notice to the respondents." It had posted the matter for hearing after 10 days.
The top court was hearing a petition filed by journalist Qurban Ali and former Patna High Court judge and senior advocate Anjana Prakash, who have also sought a direction for an "independent, credible and impartial investigation" by an SIT into the incidents of hate speeches against the Muslim community.
After the bench said the matter would be heard after 10 days, Sibal said the only problem is that another 'dharam sansad' was going to be held in Aligarh and they don't want it to happen.
Sibal requested the bench to list the matter for hearing on January 17 and said they would serve all the respondents by then.
"We will permit you to make a representation to the concerned authorities. Let them act upon it," the bench orally had said.
Meanwhile, prominent Muslim body Jamiat Ulema-e-Hind on Thursday said it has written to the Election Commission and the district magistrate, seeking a ban on the proposed 'dharma sansad' in Aligarh.
Sanatan Hindu Sewa Sanstha has proposed to hold the 'dharam sansad' in Aligarh on the theme of role of seers in present politics.
The Aligarh district administration, however, has said they have not received any written request for organising such an event.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)