Delhi HC extends interim protection granted to Delhi Minorities Commission chief Zafarul Islam Khan

The Delhi High Court has directed the Delhi Police to submit its status report to the Delhi Minorities Commission chief Zafarul Islam Khan in an FIR registered against him alleging posting of communal statements, legal news website LiveLaw.in has reported.

While directing the state to serve a copy of the report to the petitioner, the Single Bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Ohri further extended the interim protection of the petitioner till the next date of hearing.

Earlier, the Delhi High Court had granted interim protection from any coercive action to Zafarul Islam Khan.

Moved through Advocate Vrinda Grover, the plea for anticipatory bail called for an urgent relief of protection for arrest and coercive action in a 'frivolous', 'motivated' and 'untenable' case.

While informing that Delhi Police has lodged an against Khan under sections 124A and 153A of the IPC, the petition claims that the allegations contained in the FIR against the petitioner are devoid of legal merit, distort facts, and is a gross abuse of process of law.

The petitioner claims that since March 2020, India has witnessed widespread hate speech and comments and in some cases physical attacks against members of the Muslim community, blaming the Muslim community for spreading COVID-19.

He further informs that a substantial portion of the hate speech and attacks on the Muslim community was in the form of spreading fake and fabricated news that vilifies Muslims and portrays them as spreading Coronavirus.

'The false, inflammatory, malicious and distorted media coverage of the petitioners' social media posts have already had the effect of inciting hatred against the petitioner, and causing him to be held in contempt in the eyes of the public. This is evident from frivolous and malicious complaints that have been filed against the petitioner following such media coverage,' the petition states.

The petitioner further argues that complaints against him have been filed with obtuse motive and malafide is evidenced by the use of social media to attract publicity to the complaints and persons who filed them.

Therefore, the petitioner has sought anticipatory bail and protection from coercive action as the FIR has been registered against him with a malafide intention of harassing and intimidating him for doing his statutory duty to protect the rights of Muslims.