Posters Against PM Modi: Plea In Supreme Court Seeks Quashing Of FIRs & Direction To Restrain Delhi Police From Registering Further FIRs

Stressing that citizens have the right to freedom of speech and expression, the petition, filed by Advocate Pradeep Kumar Yadav, seeks direction on the Delhi Police not to register FIRs (first information report) in relation to COVID posters/advertisements and brochures.

The alleged advertisements/posters, the pictures of which are doing rounds on Social media, state, "Modiji humare bachon ki vaccine videsh kyon bhej diya? (Why did Modi send vaccines meant for our children to foreign countries?)"

The plea also seeks direction to call for records from the opposite parties as to the registrations of FIRs in this matter and to further stop registering any FIR in this connection.

As per the media reports, the Delhi Police has stated that till Saturday (May 15) 25 people have been arrested in cases registered at different police stations across the city even as they were trying to ascertain the key players behind the posters.

Based on further complaints, as many as 17 FIRs have been registered under sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) of the Indian Penal Code and other relevant sections including section 3 of the Prevention of Defacement of Property Act across various districts of the Delhi Police, reported PTI.

However, since the offences registered against such people are all bailable, a majority of those arrested till Saturday afternoon have been released on bail from the concerned police stations itself.

"More FIRs are likely to be registered if further complaints are received in this regard. As of now, the investigation is underway to ascertain on whose behalf these posters were being put up and accordingly further action will be taken," a senior police officer told the news agency PTI on Sunday.