Hate speech: Cops file compliance report on FIR against Asaduddin Owaisi

New Delhi: Delhi Police has lodged an FIR against All India Majlis Ittehadul Muslimin (AIMIM) leader and MP Asaduddin Owaisi for an alleged hate speech delivered last year, a Delhi court was informed on Monday.

Following the order of Metropolitan Magistrate Muneesh Garg, the police filed a compliance report in court informing it that a criminal case has been lodged against Owaisi, the MP representing Hyderabad, under provisions of the IPC on the basis of a private complaint.

Additional Station House Officer (ASHO) of Farsh Bazaar police station, who was present in the court, submitted a copy of the FIR along with the compliance report.

The FIR was registered on court's direction on the complaint of Ajay Gautam, a social worker and a priest.

Owaisi has been booked under sections 153(A) (promoting enmity between different groups), 504 (Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 120 B (criminal conspiracy), 121 (waging war against India), in addition to offences under various sections of the Information and Technology Act.

The complainant had said that on June 5, 2014, he had read an article in the online edition of a newspaper in which Owaisi had allegedly delivered a speech against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

He had said he found that it was not the first time that the leader had delivered "hate speech and created terror and fear" in the minds of one community.

The complainant had sought lodging of FIR for the alleged offences of promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion, criminal conspiracy and intentional insult with intent to provoke with breach of peace under the IPC among other charges.