New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday slammed former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Nupur Sharma and refused to entertain her plea to file multiple FIRs against her for her controversial remarks on Prophet Mohammad.
A vacation bench of Justices Surya Kant and JB Pardiwala said Sharma’s “disturbing statements” were “only” responsible for inciting sentiments in the country.
“This woman is single-handedly responsible for whatever is happening in the country,” Justice Surya Kant said.
“What is his duty to make these observations,” the bench asked his counsel, senior advocate Maninder Singh, who had requested to be transferred to Delhi by adding all the FIRs.
When Singh said Sharma had tendered an apology, the bench retorted: “He should have gone on TV and apologized to the country. It was too late to get him back. ,
Even the withdrawal of the comments was conditional, the court said, adding that it had offered to withdraw its words, only “if anyone’s sentiments were hurt”.
The bench rejected Singh’s contention that Sharma was entitled to relief in view of the Supreme Court’s decision in the case of journalist and editor Arnab Goswami. Singh said that more than one FIR cannot be registered for the same offence.
To this, the bench retorted: “The case of a journalist expressing authority on a particular issue is different from that of a spokesperson who goes into a TV debate and lashed out at the other side without thinking of the consequences of such statement.” Is.”
“We need to mold the law accordingly,” it remarked, when Singh argued that the Supreme Court had earlier allowed citizens to take court’s involvement in cases where several cases were filed against them.
“The conscience of this court is not satisfied,” the court asked Sharma to pursue other legal remedies. As the bench was about to pass its order, Singh sought permission to withdraw the petition.
The bench also took strong objection to the fact that Sharma had participated in a TV debate on a subject which was sub-judice. Since the discussion was on the Gyanvapi Masjid case, Justice Surya Kant said: “What is the function of the channel to discuss the matter, which is under consideration, apart from promoting an agenda?”
Singh told that Nupur Sharma had given the statement after provocation. On this, the court said that Sharma should have filed an FIR against the anchor. Singh clarified that it was not the anchor but another member of the panel that had framed him.
The bench further said that Sharma, being the spokesperson of a national party, was not given license to say “such disturbing things”. “These are not religious people at all, they make statements to incite,” the court said.
Sharma was not allowed to approach the court directly, bypassing the lower courts. “This petition smacks of his arrogance, that the magistrates of the country are too small for him,” the bench said.
The court was told that Sharma had joined the investigation in the FIR registered by the Delhi Police. This prompted the court to remark: “There must have been a red carpet for you. a red carpet. ,
The top court also indirectly cited the arrest of Mohammad Zubair, editor of fact-checking website AltNews. The bench said: “You file an FIR against someone, that person is arrested, but you are not.”
In his client’s defence, Singh said Sharma had never lodged an FIR against anyone, but the court was in no mood to listen.
Nupur Sharma was suspended by the Bharatiya Janata Party last month following outrage in India and Muslim countries following her controversial statements.
This week, a Hindu tailor was brutally murdered in Udaipur by two Muslim men who claimed on video that the attack was done to avenge Nupur Sharma’s support.
Read also: 32 IPS officers transferred in Rajasthan amid huge uproar after tailor’s murder in Udaipur