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SC declines to consider plea against FIRs for criticising Covid-19 vaccine policy

The string of arrests in the capital started late on May 12
Last Updated 30 July 2021, 14:58 IST

The Supreme Court on Friday declined to consider a PIL, for quashing of the FIRs registered against 24 persons for putting up advertisements, posters and brochures for criticising the central government's Covid-19 vaccination policy.

A bench of Justices D Y Chandrahud and M R Shah told petitioner-cum-lawyer, Pradeep Kumar Yadav, not to file such kind of PILs, saying the court could not quash the FIR at the instance of a third party.

"In the criminal jurisprudence, we can’t quash an FIR at the behest of a third party. They (the affected persons) must come," the bench said.

Yadav asked the court to direct the Commissioners of Police, and DGPs not to register FIR against the persons for advertisements or brochures, banners and posters, criticising the central government's Covid-19 vaccination policy.

He claimed that a 19-year-old school dropout, a 30-year-old e-rickshaw driver, a 61-year-old maker of wooden frames were among 24 people arrested by Delhi Police, in the middle of a raging pandemic, for allegedly pasting posters.

The string of arrests in the capital started late on May 12 after the Special Branch informed Delhi Police Commissioner (former) S N Shrivastava about the posters that read, “Modi ji hamare bachon ki vaccine videsh kyon bhej diya" (Why did you send our children’s vaccines abroad?)," the petition stated.

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(Published 30 July 2021, 14:55 IST)

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