📷 Image: Wikimedia Commons / Avrajyoti Mitra
Politics
Delhi HC dismisses petitions seeking FIRs against politicians for hate speech
✍️ India Today
🗓 05 Oct 2026, 05:36 PM
👁 10
The Delhi High Court rejected petitions demanding FIRs against several politicians for alleged hate speech during the recent riots, citing insufficient grounds.
The Delhi High Court on Wednesday turned down multiple petitions that sought the registration of First Information Reports (FIRs) against a number of politicians accused of delivering hate speech during the February riots in the capital. The petitions, filed by civil society groups and victims' families, alleged that the politicians' statements had inflamed communal tensions and contributed to the violence that left dozens dead and injured.
In its order, the bench observed that the pleadings did not establish a direct causal link between the alleged statements and the outbreak of the riots, and that the evidence presented was insufficient to warrant a criminal complaint. The court therefore concluded that there was no legal basis to compel the police to register FIRs at this stage.
The decision comes amid ongoing debates over accountability for the Delhi riots, with opposition parties and human‑rights organisations urging stricter action against those they say incited the clashes. The police, meanwhile, have said they continue to investigate all leads related to the unrest.
Legal experts noted that while the HC's ruling does not preclude future FIRs if new material emerges, it underscores the high evidentiary threshold required for criminal proceedings against public figures in India.
In its order, the bench observed that the pleadings did not establish a direct causal link between the alleged statements and the outbreak of the riots, and that the evidence presented was insufficient to warrant a criminal complaint. The court therefore concluded that there was no legal basis to compel the police to register FIRs at this stage.
The decision comes amid ongoing debates over accountability for the Delhi riots, with opposition parties and human‑rights organisations urging stricter action against those they say incited the clashes. The police, meanwhile, have said they continue to investigate all leads related to the unrest.
Legal experts noted that while the HC's ruling does not preclude future FIRs if new material emerges, it underscores the high evidentiary threshold required for criminal proceedings against public figures in India.