New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday (December 18) refused to entertain a plea alleging failure of the Uttar Pradesh government to act against the Dharam Sansad organised by militant Hindutva figure Yati Narsinghanand in Ghaziabad.
The plea, filed by a group of civil society members including former bureaucrats had said that the Ghaziabad district administration and the Uttar Pradesh police had been wilfully and deliberately in contempt of the orders of the Supreme Court which has directed all competent authorities to take suo motu action against individuals or groups who indulge in communal activities and hate speeches.
“There are other matters which are equally serious. We will be flooded if we entertain this. You have to approach the high court. We cannot entertain,” said a bench of Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and Justice P.V. Sanjay Kumar on Thursday, reported Bar and Bench.
While advocate Prashant Bhushan, who appeared for the petitioners, pointed out that Narsinghanand was granted bail on the condition that he will not indulge in hate speech, the court said that the petitioners should approach the high court for cancellation of bail.
However, the court asked the Uttar Pradesh government to monitor the event and ensure that it is recorded on video.
“Additional Solicitor General (KM) Nataraj, please tell authorities to keep a track and video recording has to be kept. Just because we are not entertaining this does not mean we are avoiding the issue,” said the court.
The website and the advertisements for this Sansad, the petitioners say, include several communal statements against the followers of Islam and incite violence against Muslims.
‘Dharam Sansad’ events earlier, at various places across north India, have been in the news for their openly communal themes. In 2021, a Dharam Sansad in Haridwar had called for the genocide of Muslims.
