On Friday, the Delhi High Court ordered the city police to reply to TMC Lok Sabha MP Mahua Moitra’s request to have the First Information Report against her for making a “derogatory” social media comment about NCW president Rekha Sharma quashed.
The Delhi Police received a notice regarding the plea from Justice Neena Bansal Krishna, requesting that they submit a status report in no more than four weeks.
On November 6, the high court scheduled a hearing to discuss the petition’s challenges to the FIR’s legality and legitimacy.
This month, the police filed a First Information Report (FIR) against Moitra under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which addresses any statement, gesture, or action that is meant to belittle a woman’s modesty.
Since the BNS went into effect on July 1, this was the first FIR that the Delhi Police’s Special Cell had filed under it.
The National Commission for Women (NCW) president Rekha Sharma was shown in a video posted on X coming at the scene of a stampede that occurred in Uttar Pradesh’s Hathras on July 4. The Trinamool Congress (TMC) leader had made comments in response to the footage.
The message, which mentioned a man strolling behind Sharma while holding an umbrella, was later removed by Moitra.
Speaking on behalf of Moitra, senior attorney Indira Jaising stated that despite their requests, they were not given a copy of the FIR.
The police attorney subsequently gave the petitioner’s attorney in court the copy of the FIR.
According to the FIR, Moitra’s alleged “derogatory remarks” were taken cogno motu by the NCW, and the NCW filed the complaint that led to the filing of the FIR.
According to the FIR, Moitra’s offensive words are blatantly offensive and a clear infringement on a woman’s right to live in dignity.