SC Refuses Contempt Plea, Asks UP Authorities To Monitor ‘Dharam Sansad’

The Supreme Court on Thursday declined to hear a contempt plea against Uttar Pradesh authorities regarding Yati Narsinghanand’s proposed “Dharam Sansad” event in Ghaziabad, instructing them instead to monitor the situation closely.

The bench, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and Justice Sanjay Kumar, told Additional Solicitor General K M Nataraj, representing UP, “Please tell the authorities to keep a watch and keep track of what is happening.”

The “Dharam Sansad,” organized by the Yati Narsinghanand Foundation, was scheduled to take place from December 17-December 21 at the Shiv-Shakti temple complex in Ghaziabad’s Dasna.

The court emphasized that nodal officers should monitor the event to ensure there was no breach of the Supreme Court’s earlier orders.

On April 28, 2023, the Court directed all states & union territories to file cases against individuals making hate speeches, regardless of complaints. The Court had specifically ordered states like Uttar Pradesh to act against hate speech offenders and warned that delays in taking action could lead to contempt charges.

While addressing the contempt plea, the bench noted that petitioners could seek appropriate legal remedies. It clarified that the Court’s refusal to entertain the plea did not imply any disregard for its earlier orders.

“We have to also accept that all matters can’t come to the Supreme Court. If we entertain one, we will have to entertain all,” the bench said, adding that other serious matters also required attention.

On December 16, the Court had instructed former bureaucrats and social activists, who filed against the “Dharam Sansad,” to send an email requesting an urgent hearing. Advocate Prashant Bhushan, representing the petitioners, had highlighted that an open call for the genocide of Muslims was made at the event, which was set to begin on December 17.

The petitioners, including activist Aruna Roy, retired IAS officer Ashok Kumar Sharma, former IFS officers Deb Mukarji and Navrekha Sharma, and others, accused the Ghaziabad district administration and UP police of willful contempt of the Court’s orders.

A previous “Dharam Sansad” event in Haridwar had sparked controversy over alleged hate speeches, leading to criminal prosecution of several individuals, including Narsinghanand.

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