Delhi HC issues fresh notices to political leaders, activists in hate speech cases

The court also said the Supreme Court has asked it to dispose of the matter within a specific time period. Asking the petitioners to file the process fee within two days so that fresh notices can be issued, the court listed the matter for hearing in April.

The court earlier had asked petitioners whether it can proceed to issue any direction against whom the allegations have been made without them being arrayed as parties. Following the court’s observations, the two petitioners, Lawyers Voice and Shaikh Mujtaba Farooq & Ors., last month moved two applications seeking to add at least 24 persons against whom FIRs are being sought as respondents to the petitions.

Besides the Gandhis, Lawyers Voice in its application prayed for impleadment of AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Amanutullah Khan; AIMIM leaders Akbaruddin Owaisi, Warrish Pathan; lawyer Mehmood Pracha, activist Harsh Mander, former Bombay High Court judge B G Kolse Patil, incarcerated student activist Umar Khalid, actor Swara Bhaskar and others. Farooq in his application has prayed for impleadment of BJP leaders like Thakur, Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma and Abhay Verma.

The court Tuesday pulled up the counsel representing the Lawyers Voice for not furnishing the addresses of several of the persons who they wish to add as respondents. It warned the counsel to either furnish the addresses of those proposed respondents within two days or drop them from the case.