Delhi HC Rejects Plea For Hate Speech FIR Against Anurag Thakur, Parvesh Verma

Justice Chandra Dhari Singh said there is no 'direct instigation' in the alleged hate speeches.

The Delhi High Court on Monday, 13 June, dismissed the plea filed by Communist Party of India-Marxist (CPI-M) leader Brinda Karat and politician KM Tiwari against a trial court decision to not register a First Information Report (FIR) against BJP leaders Anurag Thakur and Parvesh Verma for hate speeches given weeks before Delhi Riots 2020.

Justice Chandra Dhari Singh dismissed the plea and said that the complainants failed to follow the process under the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), reported Livelaw.

The court stated that in order to prosecute Thakur and Verma for the alleged offences mentioned in the complaint, a prior sanction of the Centre is required, as per the Section 196 CrPC.

The order said,

“During the arguments by counsels for the complainants, a question was put to them as to whether any sanction has been procured by them to which the answer was in negative.”