FIR against journalist Rana Ayyub filed: Delhi Police to court

New Delhi: Delhi Police on Tuesday informed a court that an FIR was registered against journalist Rana Ayyub for allegedly making derogatory posts in 2016-17, including "insults to Hindu deities, spreading of anti-India sentiment and incitement of religious disharmony".

Chief judicial magistrate Himanshu Raman Singh disposed of the plea filed by advocate Amita Sachdeva after saying the police filed a compliance report over the court’s direction on January 25 to register an FIR.

The FIR dated January 27 was filed under Sections 153 A (punishment for promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc.), 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 505 (statements conducing public mischief) of the IPC.

Sachdeva, seeking the court to order an FIR, alleged Ayyub made derogatory posts on social media platform X.

The FIR was registered in the cyber police station in the south Delhi.

Regarding the additional information in the case, the FIR said, "Rana Ayyub, a verified Twitter user and public figure who has consistently used her platform to insult revered Hindu deities, malign the fabric of Indian unity and promote hostility toward India and its citizens including Indian army." It said the "deliberate and provocative posts" were not only offensive but a "blatant abuse" of her influence to "incite the Hindu community".