A Supreme Court bench headed by Chief Justice SA Bobde agreed to hear a plea filed by riot victims on Wednesday, 4 March, asking for the apex court to order immediate registration of FIRs against political leaders like Kapil Mishra and Anurag Thakur, who allegedly made provocative speeches that instigated violence in northeast Delhi.
The victims approached the Supreme Court after the Delhi High Court deferred taking any decision on the registration of FIRs at this time, while hearing a plea by activist Harsh Mander.
Mander’s petition in the high court had sought immediate registration of FIRs against Kapil Mishra, Parvesh Verma and Anurag Thakur, on the basis that ‘their hate speech allegedly led to violence in the national capital.’
During the brief hearing on Monday to schedule the hearing, CJI Bobde remarked that the court also wishes for peace but it is also aware of its limitations. “We can’t prevent things from happening. We come in the scene only after occurrences. And then we pass appropriate orders.”
The CJI also noted that there was a lot of pressure on the judges to take action, as though they were to be held responsible for preventing riots, and that the court was not equipped to handle such pressure.
These remark have garnered strong reactions from citizens online, with many questioning the power of the highest legal body of the country – and contrasting it with the statements by the now-transferred Delhi High Court judge, Justice S Muralidhar, who had said the courts should ensure there was no repeat of 1984 under their watch.
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