Taking serious note of the communally charged campaign speeches by Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan and BJP general secretary Amit Shah in Uttar Pradesh, the Election Commission has directed the state administration to withhold permission for all public meetings to be addressed or attended by the two leaders for the remaining part of the campaign.
The poll panel has also pulled up the UP authorities for failing to act promptly, particularly in Azam Khan’s case, as no FIR had been registered against him despite his repeated communal references.
While holding that the “state government machinery is soft-pedalling in taking required action against him (Khan)”, the EC directed the UP chief secretary to ensure that FIRs be filed immediately and criminal proceedings initiated against both Khan and Shah.
While FIRs are yet to be filed against Khan, Shah could face immediate arrest, having withdrawn his plea on Thursday from the Allahabad High Court seeking a stay on his arrest and quashing of the FIRs filed against him in Bijnore and Shamli. The Commission asked the UP chief secretary and chief electoral officer to file a compliance report in respect of its instructions by 5 pm on Saturday.
Observing that the provocative speeches of both Khan and Shah during the course of UP campaign were highly prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious communities, the EC said they violated not only the model code but constituted serious offences under Section 125, 123(3) and 123(3A) of Representation of the People Act and Sections 153A, 153B, 295A and 505(2) of the IPC.
The poll panel has also pulled up the UP authorities for failing to act promptly, particularly in Azam Khan’s case, as no FIR had been registered against him despite his repeated communal references.
While holding that the “state government machinery is soft-pedalling in taking required action against him (Khan)”, the EC directed the UP chief secretary to ensure that FIRs be filed immediately and criminal proceedings initiated against both Khan and Shah.
While FIRs are yet to be filed against Khan, Shah could face immediate arrest, having withdrawn his plea on Thursday from the Allahabad High Court seeking a stay on his arrest and quashing of the FIRs filed against him in Bijnore and Shamli. The Commission asked the UP chief secretary and chief electoral officer to file a compliance report in respect of its instructions by 5 pm on Saturday.
Observing that the provocative speeches of both Khan and Shah during the course of UP campaign were highly prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony between different religious communities, the EC said they violated not only the model code but constituted serious offences under Section 125, 123(3) and 123(3A) of Representation of the People Act and Sections 153A, 153B, 295A and 505(2) of the IPC.
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