The Delhi Police on Monday told the Supreme Court that the probe into the alleged hate speeches made in December 2021 Dharam Sansad in Delhi is substantially complete and a final report will be soon filed in the case.
Directing the Delhi Police to apprised it on the status of investigation and the submission of the report, a bench of Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud, Justice P S Narasimha and Justice J B Pardiwala posted the matter for further hearing after three weeks.
Earlier on January 13, the apex court had questioned the Delhi Police for not making any progress in the investigation into cases of hate speeches made at religious gatherings in the national capital in 2021, and sought a status report from the police officer investigating the case.
“There was no palpable progress made in the investigation,” the CJI had remarked in the last hearing.
Noting that the FIR was filed five months after the incident and no chargesheet has been filed yet, the bench had directed the Investigating Officer (IO) to place on record the steps taken in the investigation in the matter within a period of two weeks.
The incident pertains to December, 2021 and the FIR in the case was lodged on May 4 last year where the Hindu Yuva Vahini organised an event under the leadership of Sudarshan News TV editor Suresh Chavhanke in Delhi in December 2021.
The apex court was hearing a contempt petition filed by social activist and Mahatma Gandhi’s great-grandson Tushar Gandhi against former Delhi Police Chief Rakesh Asthana claiming that the controversial Dharam Sansads were allowed to be held in Delhi in December 2021 in violation of Supreme Court orders.
In his petition, Gandhi sought contempt action against senior police officials for not taking any steps in the issue, according to the guidelines laid down to curb hate speeches and lynching.