Trouble mounted for Former Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union (JNUSU) Vice President Shehla Rashid Shora after Delhi Lieutenant Governor VK Saxena granted sanction to prosecute her on sedition charges for her 2019 tweets on the Indian Army.
The sanction is related to a 2019 FIR against her, under IPC section 153A, registered at Special Cell police station in New Delhi, on the basis of a complaint by a person named Alakh Alok Srivastava.
Shehla Rashid is accused of promoting enmity between different groups and indulging in acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony through her tweets. The proposal to this effect is moved by the Delhi Police and supported by the Home Department.
The tweets by Shora, dated August 18, 2019, had accused the Army of entering houses and “torturing” locals in Kashmir. The Indian Army had rejected the claim as “baseless.”
Army had tweeted, “Indian Army says allegations leveled by Shehla Rashid are baseless and rejected. Such unverified and fake news are spread by inimical elements and organizations to incite unsuspecting population.”
“The Home Department, GNCTD, in its observations on file has observed that, “the nature of case, location to which the tweets refers and making false allegations against the Army makes it a serious issue. Not every tweet is to be proceeded with, under criminal law. But the tweet of the kind in this case needs to be processed against Religious fault-lines have been created in J&K by the likes of Ms. Shehla Rashid. The case is made of for prosecution us 153A IPC. This relates to public order,” the press release said.
