After Uttarakhand High Court rap, police files FIR against man for vulgar posts with Court's name as hashtag

The Uttarakhand Police has registered a first information report (FIR) against a man who made vulgar comments on social media using the hashtag #HighCourt_Nainital. .According to the FIR dated May 17, the man named Randeep Pokhariya has been booked under Sections 196(1)(a) (promoting enmity between group) and 353(1)(c) (statements leading to public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.The High Court was informed about the development today. .The police action follows stern remarks from the Uttarakhand High Court last week. On May 15, a Division Bench of Chief Justice G Narendar and Alok Mahra had referred to such posts targeting the Court and asked the Advocate General (AG) SN Babulkar to explain what steps the government is going to take. “The Court has asked a statement from the learned Advocate General as to how the message could be signed off in the name of High Court and as to what action they propose against such posts, which are being made repeatedly by the aforesaid person,” the Court noted in its order. It then gave time to the AG to get instructions on the matter. Today, the State government informed the Bench that the FIR has been registered against the man at Nainital's Mallital police station. The matter will be heard next on May 22. .The posts in question surfaced on social media following the alleged rape of a 12-year-old girl last month in Nainital by a 73-year-old contractor named Mohammad Usma. As per media reports, the news led to communal violence and vandalism.The High Court later stepped in to question the administration's lack of response to such protests and its decision to issue a notice for the demolition of the accused's house. .Nainital rape: Uttarakhand High Court orders SSP to monitor probe as State seeks accolades.On May 15, the High Court heard a plea filed by Usman’s son, Rizvan Khan, challenging his “punitive and stigmatic” transfer following his father's arrest. During the hearing, the Court was shown certain social media posts that celebrated Khan’s transfer, and the hashtag High Court was used. Advocate Dr Kartikey Hari Gupta appeared for Khan and said that the social media posts not only targeted Khan, but also the judges of the High Court and the lawyers like him for representing Khan and his family before the courts. The post was made in Hindi and celebrated Khan's transfer. It ended with #हाईकोर्ट_नैनीताल.