Dharam Sansad hate speech: Retired Army officers move Supreme Court for SIT probe
A petition has been filed in the Supreme Court seeking a probe against hate speeches delivered at religious events organized at Haridwar and Delhi between December 17 and 19 last year.
The plea filed by three retired Indian Army officers Major General S.G. Vombatkere, Colonel P.K. Nair and Major Priyadarshi Chowdhury, through advocate Senthil Jagadeesan, sought directions to appoint a new Special Investigation Team to probe the alleged hate speeches delivered at the Dharam Sansads of Haridwar and Delhi.
“In another such instance, an event was organized in Delhi on 19th December 2021. From a video of the event, a gentleman can be seen administering an oath to a group of people to “die for and kill” to make India a ‘Hindu rashtra’,” the petition reads.
The plea filed referred to the the videos circulating on social media and contended that these speeches stain the secular fabric of the nation and also have serious potential to impact public order adversely.
According to the petition , such seditious and divisive speeches violate not only the criminal law of the land, but also strike at the core of Article 19 of the Constitution of India.
It is highlighted in the petition that if such incidents go unchecked, it will have a serious impact on the morale of soldiers in the armed forces.