New Delhi: A Delhi court has now reprimanded the Delhi Police here for not questioning a reporter present at the Jantar Mantar hate speech event and was seen "trying to incite" people. The court's criticism came while it was hearing a plea for anticipatory bail to Pinky Chaudhary, president of the Hindu Raksha Dal and one of the key accused in the case.
Additional Sessions Judge Anil Antil reserved the order on anticipatory bail and extended the interim protection from arrest in the meantime till Saturday. Chaudhary's lawyer argued that the prosecution was accusing his client in the case based on a video of him posted by YouTube channel Khabar India. An 11-minute clip of the video was submitted by the police in court, which showed the interview of Chaudhary by the reporter.
Based on this, ASJ Antil said, "Have you served notice to the reporter? He is seen deliberately putting up leading questions. To incite them and agitate him and say something. He is trying to incite them. He must have been the first person to be called," according to news reports of the hearing.
When the court asked whether the words uttered by Chaudhary in the video were indeed his words, the defence did not deny this but insisted that the court would find him innocent if the entire video is considered.
Chaudhary, through his lawyer, argued that he was not named in the FIR registered by police, he did not raise any slogans and that the police were reaching and going beyond the ambit of the FIR by relying on a news interview.
Chaudhary also went on to argue, through his lawyer, that the words allegedly attributed to him in the said video, even if true, do not come under the purview of the IPC section relating to promoting hate and enmity between two communities. He argued that he is allowed to air extreme and different views as long as there is no call to incite anyone or to violence.