'Absurdity': Supreme Court Dismisses FIR Against Book in Indore College Library

Supreme Court dismisses FIR against Hinduphobic book in Indore College Library, citing absurdity. Legal intervention prevents miscarriage of justice.

on May 15, 2024

'Absurdity': Supreme Court Dismisses FIR Against Book in Indore College Library | Frontlist

"This is a fit case where the court would exercise its jurisdiction under Article 142 and close the proceedings to prevent abuse of law and miscarriage of justice" .

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a FIR filed by the Madhya Pradesh police over an alleged Hinduphobic and anti-national book found in the library of Government New Law College in Indore.

Justice B R Gavai, presiding over a two-judge bench, described the FIR against Farhat Khan's book Collective Violence and Criminal Justice System as a "absurdity". The court, including Justice Sandeep Mehta, deemed the FIR "absurd."

The FIR, considered at face value, does not reveal the elements of any of the charges."

"This is a fit case where the court would exercise its jurisdiction under Article 142 and close the proceedings to prevent abuse of law and miscarriage of justice" .

The police had filed a FIR against Farhat Khan, the book's publisher Amar Law Publications, college principal Inam Ur Rahman, and associate professor Mirza Mojiz Baig in response to a complaint from a college LLM student. They were charged under sections 153A (promoting enmity on the basis of religion, race, place of birth, or residence) and 295A (Malicious acts intended to incite religious emotions of any class), among other IPC prohibitions.