‘Should know by now what free speech is’: SC to Gujarat police over FIR on Congress MP Imran Pratapgarhi

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday criticised the

Gujarat Police

for registering an FIR against Congress MP

Imran Pratapgarhi

regarding his social media post containing the poem, "ae khoon ke pyase baat suno."
The apex court questioned the rationale behind the case and indicated that it would likely quash the proceedings.
The apex court told the authorities that the Constitution has upheld

freedom of speech

for 75 years. It has been 75 years since the constitution was adopted and the police should by now know what is freedom of speech and expression, the top court observed while objecting lodging of FIR.
Pratapgarhi was booked on January 3, 2024 under sections related to promoting enmity and harming national integration after posting a video of a mass marriage event in Gujarat’s Jamnagar. The video, featuring him being showered with flower petals while the poem played in the background, was deemed "provocative" by the complainant.

However, during earlier hearings, the Supreme Court dismissed these concerns, saying that the poem does not target any religion and conveys a message of non-violence. The bench had also criticised the Gujarat high court's decision to deny Pratapgarhi’s plea to quash the FIR. "Apply your mind to the poem. Ultimately, creativity is also important," the court told the state's counsel.
Earlier, Pratapgarhi had argued that the FIR was politically motivated and aimed at harassment. The Supreme Court had granted him interim protection in January.