No hate speech at event held in Delhi, police tell SC

The Delhi Police have told the Supreme Court they have closed complaints on alleged hate speech at Dharma Sansad here last year, saying after evaluating the video clips, it was found that the speeches did not contain any hateful remarks against a particular community.

"There is no use of such words which would mean or could be interpreted as 'open call for genocide of Muslims' in order to achieve ethnic cleansing or an open call for murder of an entire community" in the speech, it said.

In a written response, it said freedom of speech can be restricted but it must be justified on the anvil of necessity and not of convenience and expediency.

"We must practise tolerance to the views of others. Intolerance is as dangerous to democracy as to the person himself," it said, in a reply to a PIL by journalist Qurban Ali and former Patna High Court judge, Anjana Prakash.

It further contended the petitioner is trying to draw an "incorrect and absurd inference" by isolated passages disregarding the main theme and the message of the event.

The petitioners have sought the court's direction to ensure investigation and action against those who allegedly made hate speeches during events held in Haridwar and Delhi, last year.

The affidavit stated, “It is pertinent to mention here that no hate was expressed in the events at Delhi against any group, community, ethnicity, religion or faith, the speech was about empowering one’s religion to prepare itself to face the evils which could endanger its existence, which is not evenly remotely connected to call for genocide of any particular religion”.

The Delhi Police also said none of the words which were spoken during the events in any manner whatsoever overtly and explicitly described Indian Muslims as usurpers of territory, and as predators of land, livelihoods and of Hindu women, and nothing was said or done which could create an environment of paranoia amongst any religion, caste or creed.

It also said the allegations made against the police authorities by the petitioners that they are hand in glove with perpetrators of communal hate are baseless, imaginary and have no basis whatsoever. As the instant case is based on video tape evidence, there is hardly any scope on the part of the investigating agencies to tamper with the evidence or hinder the investigation in any manner.

Based on the investigations, all the complaints filed regarding the event were closed, the police said, while questioning the petitioners for moving the top court without first approaching it.

On Wednesday, the top court had asked the Uttarakhand government to file status report of one such event held in Haridwar in December last, even as state counsel said the police there lodged four FIRs and filed three charge sheets. The court fixed the matter for consideration on April 22.

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