Delhi riots: HC notice to Gandhis, AAP leaders, BJP minister in case seeking action against ‘hate speech’

Besides the Gandhis, Lawyers Voice in its application prayed for impleadment of AAP leaders Manish Sisodia, Amanatullah 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 including Thakur, Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma and Abhay Verma.

The division bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta, while listing the case for hearing on March 22, issued notice to the proposed respondents. “We consider it appropriate in accordance with law to issue notice to the proposed respondents to respond as to whether they ought to be impleaded as party respondents in the present writ petition as prayed for,” it said.

While mentioning various speeches of political leaders, activists and religious leaders in its application, Lawyers Voice has said, “The violence in the aftermath of such series of hate speeches establishes that such gruesome violence that was witnessed in Delhi and those responsible for giving hate speeches should be held responsible for the violence.”

Farooq and others, who are victims of the violence, in their application said that they have put on record videos that went viral “relating to four prominent persons as well as other persons from the ruling party, and in all these videos the four politicians and others were telling their followers as well as the general population that they should kill those protesting against the CAA”.