The Supreme Court has refused to hear the petition filed against the alleged anti-national statements of farmer leader Rakesh Tikait and Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma. Describing these statements as inflammatory and anti-national, the petitioner said that both the leaders talked about a situation like Bangladesh in India. The court, however, clarified that several petitions related to hate speech were already pending, and this particular case did not merit hearing.
In the petition filed by Hindu Sena Samiti and its president Surjit Singh Yadav, it was alleged that Rakesh Tikait mentioned the incident of farmers entering the Red Fort in 2021 in August this year. Tikait said that in a situation like Bangladesh, farmers should have entered Parliament so that the matter could have been resolved at that time. He further gave the statement that what has not happened before, can happen in the future, to which the petitioners have objection.
Controversial statement of Sajjan Singh Verma
The petition also said that Madhya Pradesh Congress leader Sajjan Singh Verma had given a statement in August that India could also go through a situation like Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. According to Verma, people can enter the Prime Minister’s residence. Calling it inflammatory, the petitioner said that such statements act as a provocation against the country, and no concrete action is taken on them.
Supreme Court’s reasoning: A separate matter from hate speech
The bench headed by Chief Justice Sanjeev Khanna, after hearing the petitioner’s lawyer, said that making misrepresentations or exaggerating an incident does not come under the purview of hate speech. The court also said that there are already many petitions pending on hate speeches, so it is not appropriate to hear this particular case directly in the Supreme Court.
Also read:
