A Delhi court on Wednesday sought an action taken report from the Delhi Police on a plea seeking registration of an FIR against a student activist and her father over allegedly derogatory social media posts concerning Hindu deities.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Mridul Sharma of Patiala House Courts issued notice to the Delhi Police and asked the station house officer of Parliament Street Police Station to submit a report on the action taken so far. The matter is scheduled to be heard next on January 28.
The petition alleges that four posts from the minor girl’s X account, published between September 2023 and August 2026, contained references that the petitioner considers derogatory towards Hindu deities. The plea seeks action under Sections 299 and 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act.
According to the petition, the posts remained publicly accessible despite an earlier request for their removal. The petitioner has alleged that the content was published electronically with an intention to offend religious sentiments. These allegations are yet to be examined by the court.
The petition also seeks an investigation involving the girl’s father. The petitioner has alleged that the account was being operated by the minor from their residence and that the allegedly objectionable material was not removed despite notice.
The case comes amid separate legal proceedings involving self-styled influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj. Delhi Police have accused Bhardwaj of assaulting the student activist’s father after he attended a Cockroach Janata Party protest on June 23 along with his daughter.
Bhardwaj has been booked under provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act and is also facing a POCSO case based on a complaint by the minor girl alleging online threats and harassment. He was granted three-week interim bail last week in the assault case.
The controversy intensified after an interview in which Bhardwaj allegedly claimed that he had attacked the girl’s father during the protest and avoided arrest because of political connections.
In the latest petition, the petitioner has also asked the court to direct preservation of the four alleged posts and related media, as well as platform records, IP logs, device information and other electronic evidence. The plea further seeks measures to prevent further circulation of the alleged content.
The court’s latest order is limited to seeking a report from the police. It does not amount to a finding that the allegations in the petition have been proved.
Reader Comments 0