Plea in Delhi HC seeks probe into hate speeches, security to prevent violence ahead of Eid

Noting that there are hateful and provocative speeches being made targeting a ‘particular community’ ahead of Eid, the petitioners sought court’s directions to the police for an impartial probe into incidents of hate speech and exhortation of violence.

A civil rights group — Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR) — has moved the Delhi High Court with a petition, seeking its directions to the police to probe instances of hate speech against a ‘particular community’ and prevent an outbreak of large-scale communal violence particularly in West Delhi’s Uttam Nagar ahead of Eid al-Fitr.

The petition comes against the backdrop of a killing of 26-year-old over a dispute with neighbours in Uttam Nagar on Holi.

Mentioned before a division bench of Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia on Wednesday for urgent hearing, senior advocate Nitya Ramakrishnan told the court that threats have been issued to residents in the area that a ‘khoon ki Holi’ will be celebrated on Eid, with many even being posted on social media platforms.

“We went to the police but they have not taken any action.

We fear serious violence in and around Delhi , we want urgent directions to the police,” Ramakrishnan said.

In their petition, ACPR has flagged that following the killing, “multiple rallies and assemblies, including ‘AKrosh Sabhas’ were organised in various parts of Delhi, including Uttam Nagar, wherein highly provocative and inflammatory speeches were delivered openly inciting violence against members of the Muslim community”.

The organisation flagged that the slogans raised at these rallies advocated for extrajudicial killings, economic boycott and social exclusion, thus creating an atmosphere of fear, hostility and imminent threat to life and property.

The plea stated that several Muslim-owned shops in the locality have remained closed due to fear of violence, and despite the binding directions of the Supreme Court for state authorities to take suo motu action against hate speeches, the police have failed to take prompt and effective steps.

Sohini Ghosh is a Senior Correspondent at The Indian Express.

Previously based in Ahmedabad covering Gujarat, she recently moved to the New Delhi bureau, where she primarily covers legal developments at the Delhi High Court
Professional Profile
Background: An alumna of the Asian College of Journalism (ACJ), she previously worked with ET NOW before joining The Indian Express.

Core Beats: Her reporting is currently centered on the Delhi High Court, with a focus on high-profile constitutional disputes, disputes over intellectual property, criminal and civil cases, issues of human rights and regulatory law (especially in the areas of technology and healthcare).

Earlier Specialty: In Gujarat, she was known for her rigorous coverage in the beats of crime, law and policy, and social justice issues, including the 2002 riot cases, 2008 serial bomb blast case, 2016 flogging of Dalits in Una, among others.

She has extensively covered health in the state, including being part of the team that revealed the segregation of wards at the state’s largest government hospital on lines of faith in April 2020.

With Ahmedabad being a UNESCO heritage city, she has widely covered urban development and heritage issues, including the redevelopment of the Sabarmati Ashram
Recent Notable Articles (Late 2025)
Her recent reporting from the Delhi High Court covers major political, constitutional, corporate, and public-interest legal battles:
High-Profile Case Coverage
She has extensively covered the various legal battles - including for compensation under the aegis of North East Delhi Riots Claims Commission - pertaining to the 2020 northeast Delhi riots, as well as 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

She has also led coverage at the intersection of technology and governance, and its impact on the citizenry, from, and beyond courtrooms — such as the government’s stakeholder consultations for framing AI-Deepfake policy.

Signature Style
Sohini is recognized for her sustained reporting from courtrooms and beyond.

She specialises in breaking down dense legal arguments to make legalese accessible for readers.

Her transition from Gujarat to Delhi has seen her expand her coverage on regulatory, corporate and intellectual property law, while maintaining a strong commitment to human rights and lacuna in the criminal justice system.

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