In some relief for feisty youth leader Shehla Rashid, a Delhi court has granted her protection against arrest in connection with the sedition case against her. Rashid had been booked by the Delhi Police under sedition charges for tweeting against alleged human rights violations committed by the army in Kashmir.
Rashid had made these allegations in a series of tweets on August 17. However, when the matter came up for hearing before additional sessions judge Pawan Kumar Jain at Patiala House Court on Monday, he ordered that the “matter requires investigation in detail” posting the next hearing on November 5, 2019. Rashid was also granted protection against arrest till then.
Interestingly, the complaint against Rashid was not filed by the army, but by Supreme Court lawyer AA Srivastava who called Rashid’s allegations “false and concocted”. Subsequently, an FIR was registered against Rashid under sections 124A, 153A, 153, 504 and 505 Indian Penal Code.
Responding to the case against her Rashid tweeted, “The FIR is a frivolous, politically motivated and pathetic attempt to silence me.” She also highlighted how her recent legal intervention in the Kashmir issue makes her a prime target for malicious prosecution saying, “I am a petitioner in the Constitutional challenge to the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution of India, and our petition in the Supreme Court makes a very strong case for the restoration of the same.” She added, “In a situation where reporters are not allowed to report, media, social media, telephonic and postal communication is gagged, it is important to put out narratives of the people, so that people in the rest of India know what is happening there.”