UP Court Orders Registration Of FIR Against Salman Khurshid For Comments On Hindutva In His Book

Sparsh Upadhyay

23 Dec 2021 5:52 AM GMT

  • UP Court Orders Registration Of FIR Against Salman Khurshid For Comments On Hindutva In His Book

    An Uttar Pradesh Court today directed the Uttar Pradesh Police to register a First Information Report (FIR) against Senior Advocate and Congress leader Salman Khurshid for his comments on Hindutva in his book 'Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood In Our Times'.The Lucknow Court was dealing with a complaint lodged by one Shubhangi Tiwari [under 156(3) CrPC] who alleged before the Court that...

    An Uttar Pradesh Court today directed the Uttar Pradesh Police to register a First Information Report (FIR) against Senior Advocate and Congress leader Salman Khurshid for his comments on Hindutva in his book 'Sunrise Over Ayodhya: Nationhood In Our Times'.

    The Lucknow Court was dealing with a complaint lodged by one Shubhangi Tiwari [under 156(3) CrPC] who alleged before the Court that certain portions of Khurshid's book hurt the religious feelings of Hindus as it compared Hindutva or Hinduism to ISIS and Boko Haram.

    Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Shantanu Tyagi directed the Bakshi Ka Talab police station in-charge [in Lucknow] to register an FIR under the relevant provisions of the law and ensure proper investigation in the matter.

    The magistrate has also ordered that the copy of the FIR be sent to the court within the next three days.

    It may be noted that the Delhi High Court had last month dismissed a petition filed against further publication/ circulation of the book "Sunrise Over Ayodhya" written by Congress Leader and Former Union Minister Salman Khurshid.

    "These are all chance taking Petitioners," the Bench comprising of Chief Justice DN Patel and Justice Jyoti Singh remarked at the outset, noting that Petitioner had failed to implead Khurshid as a Respondent party.

    It allowed the petitioner to withdraw the petition and file a fresh one with proper averments and parties.

    "If you are so shy about making a Senior Advocate a party to your case who is also the author of the book, don't file a PIL. Most PILs are like this, either blackmailing type or publicity interest. Don't the author have to be heard?"

    Earlier, a single judge bench had dismissed a similar plea, seeking to restrain the book for comparing Hindutva to groups like ISIS and BOKO HARAM.

    A Delhi Court last month refused to grant an ad-­interim ex-­parte injunction in the suit filed by Hindu Sena President, Vishnu Gupta against the book written by Former Union Minister Salman Khurshid titled 'Sunrise Over Ayodhya'. The suit has sought prohibitory injunction to stop the publication, sale, circulation and distribution of the book.

    [With inputs from PTI]
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