Pursue defamation, not criminal case: CJP's Saurav Das on FIR against protester
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) criticised the registration of a criminal case against a woman accused of making abusive remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi
The Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) criticised the registration of a criminal case against a woman accused of making abusive remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the party's recent protest at Delhi's Jantar Mantar, with its spokesperson Saurav Das arguing that those aggrieved should pursue defamation proceedings instead of invoking the criminal justice system. Reacting to the FIR against Ruchika Singh, Das said that while objectionable or derogatory language should not be condoned, criminal prosecution over such remarks would have a chilling effect on free speech. Read Full Story "If any language used was derogatory in nature, then the person concerned is free to pursue civil and criminal defamation proceedings against the individual concerned. However, the use of the criminal justice machinery against protesters is highly condemnable, and no one should be punished merely for using objectionable language," Das said.
"The language may be wrong, and it may be objectionable to someone, but that is no reason to invoke the criminal justice machinery against such people. It creates a chilling effect. I don't think this is acceptable to anybody, especially the younger generation," he added. The remarks came after a Zero FIR was registered against Ruchika Singh for making "abusive and objectionable" remarks against the Prime Minister during the NEET paper leak protest at Jantar Mantar on July 23. Appealing to young protesters to exercise restraint, Das said people should be mindful of the words they use while expressing dissent but maintained that criminal action was disproportionate. "I would request the younger generation to be very careful about the words they use and the kind of insults or remarks they make against people in general. That said, the use of the criminal justice machinery is a big no-no. It is completely unacceptable and should not happen.
We would also like to tell the police to remain calm and not misuse their powers for any political ends," he said. Reiterating his stand in a post on X later on Friday, Das said that the case reflected a misuse of police powers. "The misuse of criminal machinery against Ruchika Singh is unacceptable. Profanity does not attract criminal case. 50% of Lok Sabha MPs have criminal cases against them, close to 100 MPs in the BJP. The Police can focus their energy towards them, not a 25-year-old! Harassment of the young must STOP immediately!" he wrote. The FIR was lodged on July 29 at the Expressway police station in Gautam Buddh Nagar on the complaint of Ghaziabad resident Smriti Singh. According to the complaint, the accused's remarks hurt the dignity of the constitutional office of the Prime Minister and were allegedly intended to incite ill-will, spread hatred and disturb public peace.
The BriefWire