NEW DELHI: The Indian Supreme Court has issued notice to government on a petition seeking urgent intervention to stop the growing menace of targeting and terrorizing the Muslim community in India.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the petitioner, Shaheen Abdullah, was
seeking direction to India and the State Governments to initiate independent, credible and impartial investigation into the incidents of hate crimes and hate speeches.
The petitioner also prayed for directions to initiate appropriate action under the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and other relevant penal laws against the speakers and organizations engaging in such hate crimes against Muslims.
The petition has been tagged with a batch of matters relating to hate speech pending before the bench presided by Justice K. M. Joseph.
“Something needs to be done in the issue and some action must be taken
against the people responsible”, senior lawyer Kapil Sibal submitted.
The top court, however, remarked that the prayers in the petition were
“vague”. A bench comprising Justices Ajay Rastogi and C. T. Ravikumar added
that cognizance can be taken of individual cases where FIRs have been filed.
Kapil Sibal replied that the prayers are not vague. “We have mentioned the
incidents”, he said. Sibal added that several petitions have been filed in
the court over the last six months to stop such crimes, but they are
continuing.
“The spread of hate towards Muslims and other minorities gets accelerated
and becomes all the more far reaching in its impact as a as result of the
support, directly or indirectly extended to radical miscreants, who engage
in acts of hate crimes, physical violence as well as communally charged
speeches, by the ruling Political party,” read the petition.
“No action seems to be forthcoming against the speakers or the parties that
organize such events where genocidal and hateful speeches are delivered.”
“In most cases, minimal action of merely registering FIRs and that too under
lesser offences, is the only thing that is done by the authorities which
seems to be more of a formality than any genuine initiation of the criminal
machinery”, the petition added.
“Despite the fact that this court has been cognizant of the genocidal
speeches and hate crimes against Muslims made at several events and several
orders have been passed by this Court directing the concerned authorities to
take appropriate action, the circumstances of the country only seem to be
worsening with the growing radicalization of the Hindu community and the
propagation of widespread hate against Muslims that also culminates into the
physical abuse of Muslims by radical elements,” the petition pointed out.
