[Delhi Dharam Sansad] Delhi Police to file fresh affidavit after Supreme Court unhappy with 'no hate speech' affidavit

The Delhi Police on Friday agreed to file a fresh affidavit in the alleged hate speech case relating to Delhi Dharam Sansad after the Supreme Court questioned the police on whether any senior official applied his mind before filing its earlier affidavit..A bench of Justices AM Khanwilkar and AS Oka asked if the concerned officer who filed the affidavit had put any thought into it or merely reproduced the enquiry report. "We want to know that the senior officer has understood the nuances of other aspects before filing this affidavit. Has he merely reproduced enquiry report or applied his mind? Do you want to take a relook," the Bench asked Delhi Police. "We have to take a re-look and file a fresh affidavit," Additional Solicitor General (ASG) KM Nataraj responded on behalf of Delhi Police. "Do that," the bench said and posted the case for further hearing on May 9. The fresh affidavit has to be filed by May 4, the Court said. The Court on Thursday also sought the response of State of Himachal Pradesh on a fresh plea against a similar speeches at Dharam Sansad held there. This matter will be heard on April 26. .The Delhi Police in its affidavit filed last week had told the Supreme Court that there were no instances of hate speech at the Delhi Dharam Sansad since "no specific words against any particular community was used."Pertinently, the police had further submitted before the top court that speech by Sudarshan TV's Suresh Chavhanke at Hindu Yuva Vahini event in Delhi's Govindpuri did not amount to hate speech since none of the words used in the speech by Chavhanke explicitly described Indian Muslims as "usurpers of territory" or in any manner imply that "Muslims were predators of the land" or that it could create an environment of paranoia against any religion."The affidavit said that the police conducted a preliminary enquiry on the complaints against the event and examined the video recordings of the speeches made."There is no use of such words which mean or could be interpreted as open calls for genocide of Muslims in order to achieve ethnic cleansing or an open call for murder of an entire community in the speech," the affidavit stated.The affidavit was filed in response to a petition seeking probe into the alleged hate speech targeting the Muslim community delivered at the Haridwar Dharam Sansad and Delhi Dharam Sansad.The plea stated that between December 17 and 19, 2021, at two separate events organised in Delhi (by the Hindu Yuva Vahini) and Haridwar (by Yati Narsinghanand), hate speeches were made, consisting of open calls for genocide of Muslims in order to achieve ethnic cleansing.The petitions had contended that "no action whatsoever has been taken by the Delhi Police in relation with the event held in Delhi despite the fact that open calls for genocide, that are available on the internet, were made therein."The Supreme Court had issued notice in the matter on January 12.The affidavit by Delhi Police explained that the event and speeches in Delhi were about empowering one's religion to prepare itself to face evils which could endanger it's existence.The speeches were not even remotely connected to a call for genocide of any particular religion, the affidavit underscored.

[Delhi Dharam Sansad] Delhi Police to file fresh affidavit after Supreme Court unhappy with 'no hate speech' affidavit

Debayan Roy

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