Delhi High Court pulled up Rana Ayyub over controversial tweets on Hindu deities and Vinayak Savarkar, calling them derogatory and communal. Court directed Delhi Police and X to take urgent action and file responses.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday expressed serious concern over a series of old tweets posted by journalist Rana Ayyub between 2013 and 2017, observing that the content appeared to be offensive and capable of disturbing communal harmony. The Court was hearing a plea which alleged that the tweets contained remarks about Hindu deities and right-wing ideologue Vinayak Savarkar that were derogatory in nature.
Justice Purushaindra Kumar Kaurav noted that the tweets were “highly derogatory, inflammatory and communal” and directed authorities to take appropriate steps. The Court asked the Delhi Police and social media platform X Corp to act in coordination on the issue, stressing that the matter required urgent attention.
During the hearing, the Court passed the following order:
“Let the respondents take instructions and do the needful. Let them file a response by tomorrow. Let the matter be called the day after tomorrow. The action is necessary in view of the highly derogatory, inflammatory and communal tweets posted by Respondent Number 4 [Rana Ayyub] pursuant to which an FIR has been registered on the orders of a competent court. The matter requires urgent consideration. The official who represents Delhi Police is also directed to transmit necessary directions to Respondent Number 3 (X Corp). Let Delhi Police also be impleaded as a party,”.
The High Court issued notice to Rana Ayyub, X Corp, and Delhi Police, asking them to file their responses. The matter has been listed for further hearing on April 10.
The case comes from a petition filed by advocate Amita Sachdeva, who had earlier approached a trial court in Saket seeking criminal action against Ayyub. Based on her complaint, the trial court had ordered registration of an FIR and directed the police to investigate the matter.
When the matter was taken up, Delhi Police informed the Court that the tweets mentioned in the complaint are no longer available on X.
According to Sachdeva, the tweets posted by Ayyub allegedly insult Hindu deities such as Sita and Ram, and also make remarks about Savarkar and Hindu nationalism. She has also claimed that the tweets spread sentiments that could be seen as “anti-India”.
In her plea, Sachdeva stated,
“That upon reading the contents of the tweets, the Petitioner, being a follower of Sanatan Dharma, was deeply hurt and aggrieved as the posts prima facie contain insults against Hindu Deities, revered historical figures, and are capable of promoting communal disharmony,”.
The petition specifically refers to six tweets made between 2013 and 2017. One of the tweets from 2013 reads,
“Ravana didn’t touch Sita even though he could. Ram didn’t stand for Sita even though he should have. Ravana 1 Ram 0.”
In another tweet from October 2014, Ayyub quoted a couplet by Ali Sardar Jafri:
“Gareeb Sita ke ghar pe kab tak rahegi Ravan ki hukmrani, Draupadi ka libas uske badan se kab tak chhina karega”.
In 2015, Ayyub posted tweets about Savarkar, including:
“So Veer Savarkar advocated rape as necessary component of Hindutva nationalism.”
She also wrote in another tweet, ‘
“Was reading Nathuram Godse’s account of Savarkar & wondering if we shud continue to honour the terrorist sympathiser”.
Further, in 2016, Ayyub shared a tweet with an image of an injured boy, stating:
“Dear Indian army, am guessing this young kid was quite a threat to the sovereignty of India to be blinded for life.”
The High Court will now examine the responses of all parties and decide the next course of action in the case.
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