New Delhi, March 28 (HS): The Supreme Court has quashed the FIR registered against Congress leader and Rajya Sabha member Imran Pratapgarhi in Jamnagar, Gujarat. A bench headed by Justice A.S. Oka stated that there is no case against Imran Pratapgarhi. The police should understand the correct implications of spoken or written words before registering an FIR in such cases.

The Supreme Court mentioned that the Constitution allows reasonable restrictions on the freedom of expression, but these restrictions should not be arbitrary. The right to freedom of expression cannot be taken away easily. The Supreme Court emphasized that the right to freedom of expression is an integral part of democracy. It is the court's responsibility to protect this fundamental right of the people.

The apex court had reserved its judgment on March 3. During the hearing, the court rebuked the Gujarat government, stating that after 75 years of independence, the police should understand the freedom of speech and expression. The Supreme Court advised the Gujarat government to consider Imran Pratapgarhi's poetry, asserting that creativity is important too. Imran Pratapgarhi had filed a petition claiming that the FIR was registered by the Gujarat police out of political malice.

In fact, an FIR was registered in Jamnagar against Imran Pratapgarhi for allegedly posting an edited video with provocative songs. Imran Pratapgarhi had first approached the Gujarat High Court to quash the FIR. On January 17, the Gujarat High Court had dismissed Pratapgarhi’s petition.

A 46-second video clip uploaded by Pratapgarhi on the social media platform X showed him walking while waving his hands and being showered with flowers, accompanied by a song in the background. The FIR against Imran Pratapgarhi stated that the lyrics of the song were provocative, harmful to national unity, and hurt religious sentiments. Imran Pratapgarhi is the chairman of the Congress's minority department.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar