No criminal offence made out against VK Singh: Court

No criminal offence is “ex-facie” made out against Union Minister VK Singh, a Delhi court said while dismissing a criminal complaint seeking lodging of an FIR against the former Army chief for his alleged “dog” remark in the aftermath of the burning of two Haryana Dalit children.

The court said for no reason Singh’s statement can be seen as a remark made to demean any caste or creed and it does not see the comment as an “analogy drawn between the dog (as an animal) and humans (of a particular caste or creed)”.

“A single word cannot be read in isolation and a different hue be given to it by twisting it and reading it selectively and by associating it to a particular caste. Statement has to be read in whole and when done so, it does not at all sounds derogatory or intended to degrade anyone or calculated to spread hatred in the society among different castes or creed,” Metropolitan Magistrate Muneesh Garg said. The court said “as no criminal offence was even ex facie attracted in the matter, the present application under section 156(3) of the CrPC is dismissed.” 

The court said, “there was nothing in statement to show even prima facie that Singh meant to say that the victims were akin to dogs.”