MAGISTRATE COURT AT ANDHERI ORDERED A POLICE INQUIRY ON THE TWEET BY ACTOR PAYAL ROHATGI FROM JUNE 2020

6th April 2021

A Metropolitan Magistrate court at Andheri ordered a police inquiry on the tweets by actor Payal Rohatgi from June 2020 in the context of then jailed student activist Safoora Zargar (Jamia Student). Rohatgi mentioned the Quran, Female Genital Mutilation, foreplay and how Muslim women have no concept of condoms in her tweets.

Payal Rohatgi's tweet was in response to a post by a journalist who was trying to bring awareness regarding Safoora's condition in prison where she was pregnant. Advocate Ali Kaashif Khan Deshmukh registered an FIR in Amboli Police based on the tweets, but the police refused to take the case, so he reached the Andheri Court in December. Deshmukh stated that Rohatgi's tweet spread hatred towards the Muslim Community; Rohatgi has also defamed Muslim women through her tweets.

The Court observed that the tweets prima facie shows disregard to Muslim women and the community and that every community has the right to practice its religion and that no individual has the right to insult or make fun of the custom of that community.

On March 30th, the Court ordered the police to investigate the matter before proceeding against the accused and directed them to submit a report on 30th April.

Author: Papiha Ghoshal

PC: dailyhunt