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The Supreme Court on Monday extended its order of granting interim protection from any coercive action against Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi, who is facing charges of promoting communal disharmony by posting a video clip on his social media handle.
A bench of Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan told the state police's counsel, "Apply your mind to the poem. Ultimately, creativity is also important." It granted more time to Gujarat police to file its response to Pratapgarhi's plea challenging the Gujarat High Court order refusing to quash the FIR against him. The bench posted the matter for hearing on March 3 and questioned Gujarat Police for registering an FIR against Pratapgarhi over a social media post with the poem "ae khoon ke pyase baat suno..." "It's ultimately a poem. It is not against any religion. This poem indirectly says even if somebody indulges in violence, we will not indulge in violence. That is the message that the poem gives. It is not against any particular community," said Justice Oka. Earlier, the apex court had granted interim protection to the MLA and issued notice to the state of Gujarat and others on Pratapgarhi's plea. On January 3, the national chairman of Congress' minority cell, Pratapgarhi, was booked by Jamnagar police for promoting enmity between different groups based on religion, race, statements prejudicial to national integration, insulting religious groups or their beliefs, abetting the commission of an offence by the public or by a group of more than ten people, among other charges. The FIR alleged that the Rajya Sabha MP was booked after he posted the 46-second video clip on December 29 on the X handle with a poem, "ae khoon ke pyase baat suno..." running in the background. A Jamnagar resident filed an FIR alleging that Pratapgarhi used a song that was "provocative, detrimental to national integrity and hurt religious sentiments." Thereafter, he moved the High Court to quash the FIR, saying that the poem, based on which the FIR was filed, "is a poem spreading a message of love." The High Court on January 17, 2025, refused to quash the FIR, saying there was a need for further investigation and that he had not cooperated with the investigation process. Before the High Court, the Congress MP maintained that "reading of the song-poem, it is a message of love and non-violence." (ANI)
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