The Supreme Court today strongly condemned the inaction of the people involved in the major controversy over the comments of suspended BJP spokesman Nupur Sharma on the Prophet Muhammad. The court also asked how Delhi police handled the case.
"... If you file FIRs (First Information Reports) others will be arrested immediately but if you disagree with you no one dared to touch you," said Judge Surya Kant. The Mumbai police team that arrived in Delhi to question Ms Sharma on June 17 could not find her and she was no longer available.
Ms Sharma's lawyer, Maninder Singh, said the FIR against Ms Sharma was first filed by Delhi police after commenting on a news channel.
"What did the Delhi police do? Do not open our mouths. What was the television debate about? Following the agenda only? Why did they choose the sub-judge? " asked the Supreme Court.
His lawyer replied, "There was an anchor question to answer."
"There should have been a case against the manager (anchor) at the time," Justice Kant said.
During the trial today, the Supreme Court has strongly accused Ms Sharma of seeking to transfer all charges against her to several states in Delhi, citing security threats. The court refused to hear his appeal, and his lawyer withdrew it.
"It has aroused emotions throughout the country," said Justice Surya Kant.
Gulf tribes condemned India, violence erupted in the provinces and a Hindu man in Udaipur Rajasthan was killed by two Muslim men with a camera - all following Ms Sharma's comment on the Prophet. The Udaipur case has been called a terrorist attack and is being investigated by the National Investigation Agency.
"Do you face threats or have you become a security threat? How has he removed the emotions from the rest of the world. He is the only one to deal with what is happening in the world ... , "said Judge Kant.
The Supreme Court also asked why Ms. Sharma's name was not included in her request: "Why is she here under a deceptive name?"
Citing a long list of districts where FIRs have been placed against the suspended BJP leader, his lawyer responded, "He faces threats."
"From Delhi, Mumbai, Nagpur to Jammu and Kashmir, among other provinces," said Mr Singh, referring to the case involving Arnab Goswami of Republic TV to highlight the need to protect freedom of journalism. "The law is for all citizens," he said.
"Not all citizens. Some special treatment was given to a journalist," Justice Kant said. Mr Goswami was granted temporary bail in the 2018 case of suicide by the Supreme Court in November 2020, which also withdrew the Maharashtra government in a TV case.
"The journalist's case for expressing his rights in a particular case is far different from that of a spokeswoman who scolds others with frivolous statements without considering the consequences," the Supreme Court told Ms Nupur's lawyer.
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