2007 Gorakhpur Riots: Supreme Court Asks UP Govt Why Yogi Adityanath Should Not be Prosecuted for 'Hate Speech'
The apex court was petitioned by activist Rasheed Khan, who had appealed the top judiciary to order a probe into the case.
New Delhi, Aug 20: The Supreme Court has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to explain in four weeks why Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should not be prosecuted in alleged hate speech case, which dates back to 2007.
The apex court was petitioned by activist Rasheed Khan, who had appealed the top judiciary to order a probe into the case.
In May 2017, the BJP-led government in Uttar Pradesh refused to grant sanction for the prosecution of Adityanath. The move was ridiculed by the Opposition, which said how could the government led by CM Yogi permit the prosecution to act against him.
Khan, the petitioner, had earlier approached the Allahabad High Court which turned down his plea. He was then compelled to approach the top court.
Hearing the petition on Monday, a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Misra and Justices AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government, seeking an explanation within four weeks on why it has not granted the sanction to prosecute Yogi Adityanath.
The alleged inflammatory speech by Yogi, who was then the Lok Sabha MP from Gorakhpur, reportedly led to unrest in the region. The petitioner claimed that the purported speech provoked communal clashes in Gorakhpur.
The BJP has denied allegations levelled against Yogi, calling them "politically motivated".
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 20, 2018 06:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).