Delhi court orders registration of FIR against journalist Rana Ayyub over allegations of ‘insult to Hindu deities’

“Considering the gravity of the allegations, the Court is of the presumption that it is expedient to bid probe successful the contiguous substance successful workout of the judicial powerfulness nether Section 156(3) Cr.P.C. The facts pleaded by complainant are specified which necessitate involution of State machinery successful the signifier of constabulary probe and the complainant would not beryllium successful a presumption to cod evidence,” Chief Judicial Magistrate Singh added.

Advocate Amita Sachdeva, who was besides the complainant successful the substance related to 2 M F Husain’s artworks displayed astatine DAG, moved the tribunal requesting an FIR against Ayyub nether sections 153A (Promoting enmity connected grounds of religion), 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage spiritual feelings of immoderate class) and 505 (Statements conducing nationalist mischief) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

Sachdeva, who was represented successful the tribunal by advocates Makrand Adkar, Yadavendra Saxena, and Vikram Kumar, submitted a bid of posts by Ayyub connected X. The posts successful question day backmost to 2013, 2014, 2015 and 2022. The complainant alleged that she had “demeaned” Hindu God Ram, and “glorified” Ravana, showed Sita and Draupadi successful a “disrespectful light” and referred to “Veer Savarkar, an esteemed state fighter, arsenic a violent sympathiser.”

Sachdeva filed a ailment connected the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal successful November, seeking transgression enactment against Ayyub. After nary ailment was filed by the Delhi Police, she moved an exertion nether Section 156(3) (power of Magistrate to bid a Police investigation) of the Code of Criminal Procedure requesting an FIR.