Photo: Maktoob
A Delhi court on Tuesday sought responses from Himanta Biswa Sarma and the Delhi Police on a revision petition filed by activist Harsh Mander seeking the registration of an FIR against the BJP leader over alleged hate speech targeting Bengali-speaking Muslims.
According to reports, Additional Sessions Judge Sonu Agnihotri of the Saket Courts issued notices on Mander’s plea challenging an earlier magistrate court order that had declined to direct the registration of an FIR.
The complaint alleged that Sarma had made remarks promoting enmity and public mischief, including statements urging people to “trouble Miyas” and claims that several lakh “Miya” voters would be removed from electoral rolls during Assam’s Special Intensive Revision exercise, Maktoob Media reported.
Earlier, on April 20, a Judicial Magistrate First Class had dismissed Mander’s application filed under Section 175(3) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, ruling that the Delhi court lacked territorial jurisdiction in the matter. The magistrate had also observed that there was no material available to indicate that the alleged remarks had caused disharmony or incitement within the court’s jurisdiction.
During the hearing on the revision petition, Mander’s counsel argued that the trial court had wrongly rejected the plea on jurisdictional grounds. The counsel contended that Section 173(1) of the BNSS permits information regarding a cognisable offence to be lodged at any police station irrespective of where the alleged offence occurred, invoking the principle of a “Zero FIR”.
The petitioner also referred to the Union Home Ministry’s Standard Operating Procedure relating to Zero FIR and e-FIR, which was placed before the court.
After considering the submissions, the court issued notices to the respondents and scheduled the matter for further hearing on July 15, 2026.