The Delhi High Court on Wednesday dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought an independent and impartial investigation into cases registered over 'I love Mohammed' posters in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
A bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela stated that the Delhi High Court cannot issue directions concerning First Information Reports (FIRs) filed in other states. The bench noted that these FIRs were registered outside its jurisdiction and consequently dismissed the petition.
The Petition's Claims
The PIL was filed by Shujat Ali, a representative of the Raza Academy and National President of the Muslims Students Organisation of India.
The petition accused the police in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand of filing false and communal FIRs that "criminalise peaceful religious expression."
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It stated that the posters were displayed during processions for the festival of Milad-un-Nabi, which commemorates the birth and death of the Prophet, and that the people displaying them were merely celebrating their religious festival.
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The petition argued that the FIRs registered in Kanpur and Bahraich (Uttar Pradesh), as well as in Udham Singh Nagar (Uttarakhand), violate the fundamental right to religious freedom.