Court accepts Delhi Police application to withdraw Shehla Rashid’s prosecution in 2019 sedition case

Police had registered an FIR under sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intent to cause riot), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code based on a complaint by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava.

On August 18, 2019, Rashid alleged excesses by the armed forces against children and youth in the Valley in the aftermath of the government’s decision to revoke Jammu and Kashmir’s special status by abrogating Article 370 and bifurcating the state into two Union Territories.

Two of Rashid’s social media posts were mentioned by the advocate in his complaint. “The allegations made by her are false, baseless and concocted. She has not provided any evidence of the torture… She is deliberately and intentionally spreading fake news with the intention to incite violence in the country and create unrest in Jammu and Kashmir… Shehla has maligned the image of the Indian Army,” alleged the complainant.

The case was later transferred to the Special Cell and prosecution sanction against Rashid was granted by the Lieutenant Governor (L-G).

In December last year, a screening committee recommended the withdrawal of the prosecution against Rashid to the L-G. The recommendation was approved by the L-G. Last month, the Delhi Police approached the Court of Chief Judicial Magistrate Anuj Kumar Singh of Patiala House Court.