Defending the FIR against the co-founder of fact checking website AltNews and prominent Muslim journalist Mohammed Zubair, Additional Solicitor General SV Raju, appearing for UP Police, argued before the Supreme Court on Friday that Bajrang Muni, a Hindu monk who threatened Muslim women with rape in police presence, is a respected religious scholar.
“Bajrang Muni is a respected mahant…a religious leader in Sitapur with large following. When you call a religious leader hate-monger, it raises problems.My learned friend says he has written to the police. That is wrong. He is tweeting it to the larger world. You have outraged the religious feelings of large number of followers of Bajrangi Baba. Whether it is deliberate or not, is a matter for trial. Prima facie offence is made out”, the ASG submitted to the top court.
The apex court was hearing jailed journalist Zubair’s petition seeking to quash the FIR registered over his tweet terming controversial Hindu monks Yati Narasinghanand Saraswati, Bajrang Muni and Anand Swaroop as ‘hate-mongers.”
In April, videos of Muni making threats to rape Muslim women in Sitapur in police presence were shared widely on social media.
The videos were shot in Khairabad town on April 2 on the occasion of Navratri and Hindu New Year.
In one of the videos, the hate-monger can be seen addressing a crowd near a mosque.
“I am telling this to you [Muslims] with love that if a single Hindu girl is teased by you in Khairabad, I will openly bring your daughters and daughter-in-laws out of your home and rape them,” Muni can be heard telling a crowd.
His hate speech was met with loud cheers of “Jai Shri Ram” by the Hindu crowd.
He was arrested and later released on bail.
On the other hand, Senior Advocate Colin Gonsalves, appearing for Zubair, submitted that Zubair had only tweeted a video of Bajrang Muni’s speech in which he had made threats of kidnap and rape against Muslim women. Gonsalves further said that Zubair was reporting hate speech by tweeting the video and tagged Sitapur Police in the tweet seeking criminal action, Live Law reported.
