'Assure No Untoward Statements Are Made at Roorkee Dharam Sansad': SC To U'khand

At the Dharam Sansad in Haridwar, calls to kill minorities and attack their religious spaces were made.

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(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

In light of the upcoming 'Dharam Sansad' in Roorkee, the Supreme Court on Tuesday, 26 April, instructed Uttarakhand's chief secretary to assure on record that no 'untoward statement' would be made at the event, news agency PTI reported.

The religious event is slated for Wednesday.

The apex court stressed the guidelines laid down in 2018 in the Tehseen Poonawalla's case in order to curb mob lynching and warned the state that in case of absence of preventive measures, the chief secretary, home secretary, and other concerned officials would be held responsible for instances of hate speech.

The three-judge SC bench, comprising Justices Abhay S Oka, CT Ravikumar, and AM Khanwilkar, reportedly said, "We direct the chief secretary of Uttarakhand to place the above position on record and apprise us about the corrective measures."

"We will hold the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary, IG concerned responsible if any untoward situation happens despite your assurance! We are putting it on record.…You know what are the preventive measures to be taken," the court added, according to LiveLaw.

The direction from the apex court reportedly came while hearing an application filed by journalist Qurban Ali and senior advocate Anjana Prakash, which sought criminal action against the alleged hate speeches made during previous 'Dharam Sansads'.

At the event in Haridwar earlier this year, multiple calls to kill minorities and attack their religious spaces were made. Four First Information Reports (FIRs) were filed in the matter, out of which a charge sheet was filed in three.

(With inputs from PTI and LiveLaw.)