New Delhi, September 22: Facebook India Vice President Ajit Mohan moved the Supreme Court on Tuesday with a plea seeking the quashing of summons issued to him by the Delhi Assembly. His petition would be taken up for hearing by the apex court tomorrow. The summons were issued in connection to the hate speeches circulated on the social media site ahead of the riots in February. Facebook Row: Congress Leader KC Venugopal Demands Probe by Parliamentary Committee Into Allegations Against Social Media Giant.

Mohan, who heads the operations of Facebook in India, decided to approach the top court after the Delhi Assembly's 'Peace and Harmony' committee issued him a "fresh and final" summon. This summon came in the backdrop of several summons snubbed by Mohan and his associates.

The plea in SC tomorrow would be heard virtually by a three-member bench comprising of Justices SK Kaul, Aniruddha Bose and Krishna Murari. Mohan would be represented by senior lawyer and former Attorney General Mukul Rohatgi.

In his petition, Mohan argued that the Delhi Assembly cannot compel him to appear before a panel as the same matter pertaining to hate speeches is being heard by a parliamentary panel. He further pointed out that the Delhi Police, which is probing the riots , reported to the Centre and not the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led Delhi government.

Mohan also raised apprehensions over the Delhi Assembly panel declaring Facebook India as "prima facie guilty". Such a statement cannot be issued by the committee as it is not a court of law, he said.

The 'Peace and Harmony' committee was formed in the aftermath of the riots that jolted Delhi on February 23-24. Over 50 people were killed in the communal violence. The Assembly panel had issued summons to  Facebook India over complaints "deliberate and intentional inaction to contain hateful content".

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Sep 22, 2020 09:09 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).