NEW DELHI
\nA Delhi court has dismissed a plea by BJP leader and now Delhi\u2019s law and justice minister, Kapil Mishra challenging a summons in a 2020 case related to his controversial tweets during the Delhi assembly elections.
\nThe court found that Mishra\u2019s use of the word \u201cPakistan\u201d was a deliberate attempt to incite hatred and communal discord.
\nThe case stems from an FIR filed against Mishra following a complaint from the Returning Officer, alleging a violation of the Model Code of Conduct and the Representation of the People (RP) Act.
\nIn his tweets, Mishra referred to the Shaheen Bagh protest as a \u201cmini Pakistan\u201d and portrayed the election as a battle between \u201cIndia and Pakistan,\u201d actions the court found aimed at stoking division and hostility between different communities.
\nSpecial Judge Jitendra Singh, of the Rouse Avenue Courts, observed, \u201cThe word \u2018Pakistan\u2019 is very skillfully weaved by the revisionist in his alleged statements to spew hatred, careless to communal polarisation that may ensue in the election campaign, only to garner votes.\u201d
\nThe court also observed that such communally charged rhetoric has become a recurring strategy in India\u2019s political landscape, where hate speech is used to manipulate electoral outcomes.
\nMishra\u2019s defense, claiming that his statements did not target any specific caste, community, or religion, was dismissed by the court as untenable.
\nThe judge emphasized, \u201cThe implicit reference to a specific religious community is undeniable, and the statement\u2019s suggestion is clear: it is designed to sow enmity among religious communities.\u201d
\nThe court upheld the magisterial court\u2019s decision to summon Mishra, affirming that the complaint and supporting evidence provided sufficient grounds for taking cognizance of the offense.
\nIn its judgment, the court highlighted that \u201cfree and fair elections are the very foundations of any vibrant democracy\u201d, but warned that a \u201cfragile atmosphere\u201d exists in India, one where religious passions can be easily ignited.
\nThe judge concluded by asserting, \u201cThis is the outcome of politics of divisiveness and politics of exclusion which is a threat to democratic and plural fabric of the country. Divide and rule policy of the colonialist are sadly still in practice in India.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
NEW DELHI A Delhi court has dismissed a plea by BJP leader and now Delhi\u2019s law and justice minister, Kapil Mishra challenging a summons in a 2020 case related to his controversial tweets during the Delhi assembly elections. The court found that Mishra\u2019s use of the word \u201cPakistan\u201d was a deliberate attempt to incite hatred […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":466043,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-466028","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n