JOIN USRelief to Nupur Sharma as SC orders all FIRs to be clubbed
The Supreme Court on Wednesday transferred the probe into multiple FIRs lodged against suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma over her remarks on Prophet Mohammed made during a TV debate on May 26, to Delhi Police, while rejecting a plea by the West Bengal government for a court-monitored probe into the matter.
A bench of Justices Surya Kant and J B Pardiwala also granted her liberty to approach Delhi High Court for quashing of the FIRs lodged in Maharashtra, West Bengal, Jammu and Kashmir and other States.
The court also declared that the protection granted to Sharma from any coercive action in those FIRs, on July 19 would continue to operate till the conclusion of the investigation. It also ordered that all future FIRs would also stand transferred to the Delhi police.
Senior advocate Maninder Singh, appearing for Sharma, asked the top court to pass similar protection to her as was granted in the case of Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair.
Senior advocate Menaka Guruswamy, representing the West Bengal government, objected to the plea for the transfer of FIRs to Delhi by saying that the first case against her was registered in Mumbai. Maintaining that the accused cannot be allowed to pick the jurisdiction, she claimed the maximum impact of her statement was felt in West Bengal, so the state police should also be roped in during the probe.
The top court, however, noted Delhi FIR has been registered by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police, which is a specialized agency and it should be allowed to carry out the investigation.
On July 19, the court had ordered that no coercive action can be taken against Sharma in FIRs registered so far and also in cases, which could be lodged in future in connection with her remarks.
The order by the top court, which had earlier on July 1 declined to consider her similar plea saying her remark has set the entire country on fire, came as her counsel had submitted that she faced a "grave and imminent" threat to her life and liberty.