NEW DELHI: Delhi Police on Thursday told the High Court that they have taken a conscious decision to not file an FIR for hate speech against anyone at this stage because it will not help in restoring the peace and normalcy in the state.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the CJI-led bench, “Delhi Police say they have filed a total of 48 FIRs over the Delhi violence so far. FIRs have been filed for violence, arson, destruction of property etc.”
Mehta tells the bench while appealing for some time from the court so that normalcy is restored in the capital and said, “The FIR will be done at the appropriate stage.”
The court also allowed Ministry of Home Affairs to be impleaded as a party in the hearing on Delhi violence and gave them four weeks time to file a reply to the petition seeking action against those who indulged in hate speeches.
Objecting to Police’s submission, senior advocate Colin Gonsalves told the bench that, “If hate speech is resulting in murder then these people are not only responsible for hate speech, they are responsible for the murder. FIRs should be filed, arrests should be made.”
He further added that the videos of the BJP leaders like Anurag Thakur and Kapil Mishra have gone viral and has become the favourite phrase of a certain political party.
“People are dying every day, interim directions should be issued,” Gonsalves urged the Chief Justice not to give four weeks time to Centre for filing a reply in the case.
The case has been adjourned to April 13.