The Supreme Court of India on Wednesday granted interim protection from arrest to folk singer Neha Singh Rathore in connection with a case filed against her over a social media post related to the Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir.
The comments in question allegedly targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the Bharatiya Janata Party over the killing of 26 tourists in the attack.
A bench comprising Justices J. K. Maheshwari and Atul S. Chandurkar issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government and the complainant in the case, directing that no coercive action be taken against Rathore. The court, however, asked her to appear before the investigating officer and cooperate with the ongoing probe.
The relief comes after the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court rejected Rathore’s anticipatory bail plea on December 5 last year. The High Court had noted that she had failed to cooperate with the investigation despite directions issued earlier while dismissing her plea seeking quashing of the FIR.
An FIR against Rathore was registered at Hazratganj police station in Lucknow on April 27 following a complaint by Abhay Pratap Singh. The complaint alleged that Rathore had repeatedly attempted to incite one community against another on religious grounds and that her remarks threatened the unity of the country.
Rathore has challenged the FIR, contending that she has been falsely implicated under various provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including charges related to promoting communal hatred, disturbing public peace, and endangering the sovereignty, unity and integrity of India. She has also been booked under provisions of the Information Technology Act.
The Supreme Court’s interim order will remain in force while the matter is examined further.
