NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court will hear the Hindu Sena's PIL (Public Interest Litigation) tomorrow seeking a direction for registration of FIR against those hate speeches on Sanatan Dharma and Shri Ram Temple and Kashi-Mathura disputes, against various leaders, including Asaduddin Owaisi, Udhayanidhi Stalin, Kamal Haasan, A Raja, Swami Prasad Maurya and others.
A two-judge bench of the Apex Court, headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna and also comprising Justice Dipankar Datta will tomorrow (Monday) hear the PIL filed by Hindu Sena President Shri Vishnu Gupta seeking action against those who gave hate speeches against Sanatan Dharma, Shri Ram Temple, on Kashi-Mathura disputes, according to the Supreme Court's causelist.
The PIL filed, through Hindu Sena National President Vishnu Gupta, in the Apex Court, sought an order from it to the probe agency to register FIRs (First Information Report) against accused persons (Respondents) -- Asaduddin Owaisi, Udhayanidhi Stalin, Touqeer Raza Khan, Swami Prasad Maurya, A Raja, Kamal Haasan, Jitendra Awhad -- for their alleged offences of committing crime by delivering hate speeches.
The petitioner sought issuance of order or direction to ensure that an independent, credible and impartial probe is conducted into the incidents of hate speeches against the Hindu community including the speeches delivered in various place in all over India by an Special Investigation Team (SIT) as deemed appropriate by this Court.
The petitioner said that Udhayanidhi Stalin, Tamil Nadu Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs, at a conference organized by the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Artists Association in Chennai, made alleged hate speech. Udhayanidhi said, “Few things cannot be opposed, they should be eradicated. We can’t oppose dengue, mosquitoes, malaria or corona, we have to eradicate them. In the same way, we have to eradicate Sanatana (Sanatan Dharma), rather than opposing it."
Similarly, Nilgiris Lok Sabha MP, A. Raja supported Stalin’s alleged remarks comparing Sanatana Dharma with dengue and malaria and was like the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) that needed to be destroyed.
The petitioner alleged that on January 01, 2024, Owaisi, an Member of Parliament had allegedly given a provocative speech at an event organised at Madrasa-e-Arabiya Anwar-ul-Uloom in Hyderabad. His speech was viral on social media.
"In the viral video, it is evident that he is inciting the Muslim youth, Owaisi issued an appeal to the youngsters of the community to galvanise and inhabit mosques. Referring to the demolition of the disputed Babri structure at Ayodhya, Owaisi alleged that otherwise, Muslims would be bereft of Mosques and their mosques would be snatched away from them," the petitioner said.
It further said that these speeches are not mere hate speeches but amount to an open call for murder of Hindu members. The said speeches thus, pose a grave threat not just to the unity and integrity of our country but also endanger the lives of millions of Hindu citizens.
The grievance of the petitioner, for which it had approached the Apex Court, is that the respondents are guilty of disregarding the directions issued by this Court in Tehseen Poonawalla against Union of India (UOI). Therefore, consequential directions are being sought from the Top Court to ensure that the FIRs and appropriate action be initiated against these accused persons immediately for their criminal offences.