HC stays UP police' criminal proceedings against Dr Khafeel Khan in hate speech case
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Lucknow: In a relief to Dr Kafeel Khan, the Allahabad High Court stayed all criminal proceedings against him linked to the UP police's FIR over an alleged inflammatory speech given by him about CAA and NRC at a protest meeting at Aligarh Muslim University in December 2019.
As per reports, the court set aside the charge sheet and its cognizance order, observing that before filing the charge sheet, the police authorities concerned had not taken the requisite sanction from the Centre or the state government or the district magistrate under section 196 (a) of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) as required in such cases (inflammatory speech offences).
However, while giving this judgment, Justice Gautam Chaudhari made it clear that the charge sheet and its cognizance order may be taken up by the court after the mandatory sanction granted under section 196 (a) of CrPC from the Centre or the state government or the district magistrate.
According to section 196 (a) of CrPC, no court shall take cognizance of any offence under section 153A of IPC except with the previous sanction of the Centre or the state government or the district magistrate.
Earlier, an FIR was lodged against Dr Khan in this connection under section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups), 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration), 505 (2) (statement creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill will between classes) and 109 (abetment of offence) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) after his speech at the AMU on December 12, 2019, during the anti-CAA protest.
Consequently, he was arrested and sent to jail. Later, the police submitted the charge sheet before an Aligarh court on March 16, 2020. The CMJ, Aligarh took its cognizance on July 28, 2020.
The present petition was filed by Khan challenging it.
At another stage, he was booked under National Security Act (NSA) in this connection, which was later set aside by the High Court.
Khan, a paediatrician of BRD Medical College of Gorakhpur, was earlier suspended from service in August 2017, following the death of about 60 infants in the BRD Medical College hospital due to lack of oxygen.
Khan has challenged his suspension before the High Court which is hearing the case.
