NEW DELHI: Delhi's Lieutenant Governor V K Saxena has granted prosecution sanction against Shehla Rashid Shora, ex-Vice President of JNU students union and member of AISA, for making two tweets about the Indian Army aimed at promoting enmity between different groups and indulging in acts prejudicial to
maintenance of harmony.
Notably, the Delhi government's Home Department supported her prosecution.
The said prosecution sanction pertained to FIR No 152/2019, registered on September 03, 2019 under section 153A IPC, PS-Special Cell, New Delhi, on the basis of complaint made by advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava.
A proposal was moved by the Delhi Police and supported by the Home Department, GNCTD.
It said, "On 18.08.2019, one Shehla Rashid, resident of Kashmir made following two tweets about the Indian Army:-
"Armed Forces are entering houses at night, picking up boys, ransacking houses, deliberately spilling rations on floor, mixing oil with rice, etc" at 12.00 PM on 18.08.2019, and, "In Shopian, 04 men were called into the Army Camp and 'interrogated' (tortured). A mic was kept close to them so that the entire area could hear them scream and be terrorized. This created an environment of fear in the entire area", at 12.00 PM on 18.08.2019.
On the same day, ANI, quoting the Army tweeted, "Indian Army says allegations leveled by Shehla Rashid are baseless and rejected. Such unverified and fake news are spread by inimical elements and organizations to incite unsuspecting population."
Advocate Srivastava made a complaint regarding the tweets Rashid and the rebuttal thereto by the Indian Army through ANI, leading to lodging of the FIR.
The Home Department, GNCTD, in its observations on file, has said that, "the nature of case, location to which the tweets refers and making
false allegations against the Army makes it a serious issue. Not every tweet is to be proceeded with, under criminal law. But the tweet of the kind in this case needs to be processed against Religious fault-lines have been created in J&K by the likes of Rashid. The case is made of for prosecution u/s 153A IPC. This relates to public order."
The LG has granted the prosecution sanction under the relevant section 196 of CrPC 1973.
