Khushi Gupta
Published on: April 28, 2022 at 15:46 IST
During the hearing of the Bail Plea of Activist Umar Khalid in the Case related to the Delhi Riots, the High Court of Delhi questioned if it was proper to use the word Jumla reading Prime Minister of India.
Responding to this, Senior Counsel Trideep Pais submitted that it’s not illegal to criticise the Government. While referring to the 538 days Khalid has spent in Jail, Mr. Pais stated that we cannot become so intolerant.
The Division Bench had also observed that offensive terms were used multiple times and not just once in the whole speech.
Khalid had mentioned that the Hindu Mahasabha and the RSS are ancestors of the current rulers of the Country and he had further said that such organisations were doing Dalali of British rule.
The Court had asked Khalid’s Counsel whether he thinks that such Statements foment religious ferment between these groups.
Khalid’s Counsel submitted there was serious Violence at Jamia Millia Islamia University in December 2019 and Khalid’s Speech was made in that context. The Counsel also said that Khalid was not playing one Community against another.