The former JNUSU leader is accused of promoting enmity between different groups and indulging in acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony through her tweets, officials said.
NEW DELHI — Delhi Lieutenant Governor V.K. Saxena has granted prosecution sanction against Shehla Rashid Shora, who was the ex-vice president of the Jawaharlal Nehru University students union and member of All India Students Association (AISA), for her tweets on Indian Army.
According to officials at the L-G office, the sanction is related to a 2019 FIR against her, under Section 153-A of the IPC, registered at Special Cell police station in New Delhi, on the basis of a complaint by one advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava.
The former JNUSU leader is accused of promoting enmity between different groups and indulging in acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony through her tweets, officials said.
The tweets were aimed at promoting enmity between different groups and indulging in acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony, said the L-G office on Tuesday.
A case under the sedition law was filed against her by a lawyer. The L-G has granted the prosecution sanction under section 196 of CrPC, 1973.
“Delhi LG VK Saxena grants prosecution sanction against Shehla Rashid, ex-Vice President of JNUSU & member of AISA, for making 2 tweets about the Indian Army aimed at promoting enmity between different groups & indulging in acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony,” Delhi L-G’s office wrote in a statement.
The proposal to this effect moved by the Delhi Police and supported by the Home Department, GNCTD, had submitted the following facts: “On 18.08.2019, one Ms. Shehla Rashid, resident of Kashmir made following two tweets about the Indian Army:-
“Armed Forces are entering houses at night, picking up boys, ransacking houses, deliberately spilling rations on floor, mixing oil with rice, etc” at 12.00 PM on 18.08.2019, and,
“In Shopian, 04 men were called into the Army Camp and ‘interrogated’ (tortured). A mic was kept close to them so that the entire area could hear them scream and be terrorized. This created an environment of fear in the entire area,” at 12.00 PM on 18.08.2019.”
However, the Indian Army had made a statement that the allegations levelled by Shehla Rashid were baseless and rejected them. “Such unverified and fake news are spread by inimical elements and organisations to incite unsuspecting population,” the Indian Army had said.
The Home Department, GNCTD, in its observations on the file has observed that, “the nature of case, location to which the tweets refers and making false allegations against the Army makes it a serious issue. Not every tweet is to be proceeded with, under criminal law. But the tweet of the kind in this case needs to be processed against Religious fault-lines have been created in J&K by the likes of Ms. Shehla Rashid. The case is made for prosecution u/s 153A IPC. This relates to public order.” (IANS with media inputs)
