SC Issues Notice To Madhya Pradesh Government On Neha Singh Rathore’s Petition, Investigation To Continue

Bhojpuri folk singer Neha Singh Rathore

The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the Madhya Pradesh government and sought a reply to the petition filed by folk singer Neha Singh Rathore. The court has refused to stay the ongoing investigation against Rathore. Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia heads the bench hearing the case.

Neha Singh Rathore filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the Madhya Pradesh High Court’s decision. She demanded the cancellation of the FIR registered against her. Rathore had posted a controversial social media post related to the Sidhi urination scandal.

Court rejects Neha Singh Rathore’s petition seeking Cancellation of FIR

The High Court had rejected her petition, stating that Rathore added certain elements to the cartoon she uploaded on her tweet and Instagram account. The court considered that this action did not fall under the fundamental right to freedom of expression. The court noted that while artists should have the freedom to criticize through satire, adding a specific dress to the cartoon did not constitute satire. The High court questioned why the cartoon depicted a particular ideology, suggesting it was intentional.

Rathore’s tweet depicted a person in RSS attire urinating on another person. This post led to the registration of an FIR against her under Section 153A of the IPC, which pertains to promoting enmity between different groups based on religion, caste, or place of residence. The government lawyer argued that Rathore’s tweet created a tense situation.

Following Rathore’s controversial tweet, Suraj Khare, BJP’s Scheduled Caste Front media in-charge, filed a complaint. Khare accused Rathore of spreading false propaganda by showing Pravesh Shukla, the accused in the Sidhi urination case, in an RSS uniform.

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Gopal Krishna