Activist Shachi Nelli has sent a plea to the Attorney General of India seeking his consent to initiate contempt proceedings against “religious leader” and Dasna Devi temple head priest Yati Narsinghanand after a video of the derogatory remarks he made against the Supreme Court and the Constitution was shared on social media.
In the video, Yati can be seen saying in an interview that he does not trust the Supreme Court nor the Constitution of India. This Constitution will eat up 100 crore Hindus. Whoever trusts this COnsittuion will get killed. Whoever trusts the system, the politicians, Supreme Court, the police, the army will die like a dog”
The said video may be viewed here: https://twitter.com/zoo_bear/
In her letter, Nelli, a Mumbai based activist quotes section 2(c) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 which defines ‘criminal contempt’ as follows:
(c) “criminal contempt” means the publication (whether by words, spoken or written, or by signs, or by visible representation, or otherwise) of any matter or the doing of any other act whatsoever which—
(i) scandalises or tends to scandalise, or lowers or tends to lower the authority of, any court; or
(ii) prejudices, or interferes or tends to interfere with, the due course of any judicial proceeding; or
(iii) interferes or tends to interfere with, or obstructs or tends to obstruct, the administration of justice in any other manner;
She states tha the comments made by Yati are trying to undermine the majesty of the institution and the authority vested in the Supreme Court of India. “it is a vile and clear attempt at interfering in the course of justice by means of abusive rhetoric and baseless attacks on the integrit6y of the Constitution and the courts. Any such attempt to harm the majesty of the institution and diminish the faith that the citizens of India have in the Court can result in complete chaos and anarchy. This is perhaps the most vicious attack on the Supreme Court in its history.”
She further adds, “to permit these remarks to pass unaddressed will be to allow this attempt of lowering the authority of the apex court to succeed, if not wholly then in considerable measure”.
She states that since the Supreme Court is guardian of the Constitution, it was “appalling to see the lack of faith and sheet contempt being expressed towards the fundamental frameworks of this country”.
The Supreme Court has issued notice in the petition filed by former Patna High Court Court Ms. Anjana Prakash and journalist Qurban Ali seeking SIT probe and criminal action against the persons who delivered hateful and incendiary speeches at Haridwar’s Dharam Sansad and Delhi’s conclave held between December 17 and December 19, 2021.
At the Haridwar conclave, several speakers including so-called religious leaders along with hardline fundamentalists exhorted mobs to engage in targeted violence, and even directly called for a genocide of the minority community. At the Delhi event, Sudarshan News editor-in-chief administered an oath to a group of people to “die for and kill” to make India a “Hindu rashtra” or a Hindu nation.
After the Supreme Court issued notice, the Uttarakhand Police made one paltry arrest of Wasim Rizvi now known as Jitendra Narayan Singh Tyagi. When Yati got to tknow of Tyagi’s arrest, he said to the police, “Tum sab maroge… apne baccho ko bhi…(All of you will die, your children too…’)”. This despite him being aware that he was being recorded on camera.
He is yet to be arrested even as Rizvi’s arrest is being seen as just a formality. Even the policeman is heard saying that the arrest is according to legal protocol, when he respectfully requests Narsinghanand to alight from the car. Narsinghanand on his part says he too is a part of the FIR, perhaps in a bid to insist that he too be arrested in the hate speech case so he can then claim to have been subjected to state action. He has been one of the main organisers of the hate event calling for violence against Muslims at a “Dharma Sansad” in Haridwar.
Related:
SC issues notice in plea urging criminal prosecution in Dharam Sansad case
Almost a month but no arrests, CJP urges DGP to act soon in ‘Dharam Sansad’ case