Kolkata Court Summons Shashi Tharoor As Advocate Objects To ‘Hindu Pakistan’ Remark, Summons To Be Served Via Twitter Also

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor has been summoned by a Kolkata court on Saturday on the complaint of an advocate over his “Hindu Pakistan” remark and the authorities have been allowed to serve summons to the Thiruvananthapuram MP through his official Twitter handle apart from the regular process of law.

Advocate Sumeet Chowdhury had moved court accusing Tharoor of insulting the nation and hurting religious sentiments of people with his controversial remark.

Tharoor had kicked up a row when at an event in Thiruvananthapuram on Wednesday, he reportedly said that if the Bharatiya Janata Party wins 2019 Lok Sabha elections, it will pave the way for the creation of a "Hindu Pakistan".

This led to advocate Chowdhury moving court saying his remarks have insulted the Constitution.

He has filed a case under Section 153A/295A of the Indian Penal Code and Section 2 of The Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.

Chowdhury said Tharoor has been summoned for August 14 and the summons has been allowed to be issued to Tharoor through Twitter and Facebook, besides the routine process.

Chowdhury said he filed the complaint because Tharoor’s remarks were an insult to India which is a secular nation and that the politician had even refused to apologise for his comment.

“The accused not only through his statement insulted, hurt, maligned and disregarded our great sovereign but also insulted the Constitution of India by stating that the Constitution will be torn away to create a Hindu Pakistan. The accused, who is an erudite person, has also made statements with regard to the intent of great Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Azad, Sardar Patel and other heroes of our freedom struggle, especially under the given fact that the Preamble of our Constitution, as adopted in 1950,  has the expression sovereign democratic republic and it is historic fact that the said expression was changed to sovereign, socialist, secular, democratic republic by the 42nd Amendment and it has nothing to do with Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, Maulana Azad, Sardar Patel and their likes,” says the complaint filed by him.

Tharoor had on Wednesday said, “If they are able to win a repeat of their current strength in the Lok Sabha then, frankly, our own democratic Constitution, as we understand [it], will not survive... because then they will have all the three elements they need to tear up the Constitution of India and write a new one.”

“And that will enshrine the principle of Hindu Rashtra, that will remove equality for the minorities, and that will create a Hindu Pakistan...and that is not what Mahatma Gandhi, Nehru, Sardar Patel, Maulana Azad and great heroes of freedom struggle fought for,” he said.

The BJP sought an apology but Tharoor refused saying there was nothing to apologise.