Fri Mar 07 20:15:22 UTC 2025: ## Delhi Court Upholds Summoning of BJP Law Minister in Hate Speech Case

**New Delhi, March 8, 2025** – A Delhi court has rejected a revision petition filed by Delhi Law Minister and BJP leader Kapil Mishra, upholding a lower court’s order to summon him in a hate speech case. The case stems from statements Mishra made during the 2020 Delhi Assembly elections, including the phrase “February 8th will be India vs. Pakistan in Delhi.”

The Election Commission (EC) found Mishra’s statements, made on electronic and social media, objectionable and issued him a show-cause notice. Following an unsatisfactory response, an FIR was filed under Section 125 of the Representation of the People Act, which prohibits promoting enmity between classes of citizens.

Mishra’s counsel argued that his statements did not explicitly target any caste, community, religion, race, or language. However, Special Judge Jitendra Singh dismissed this argument, stating that the “India vs. Pakistan” analogy was a thinly veiled attempt to incite communal hatred and garner votes. The judge noted that while not explicitly mentioning a religion, the reference to “Pakistan” carries implicit religious connotations easily understood by the public. The court ruled that the statement’s indirect nature did not negate its harmful intent. The Delhi Police filed a chargesheet in November 2023 and a supplementary chargesheet in March 2024. The case will now proceed to trial.

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