HC seeks Delhi Police chief reply on FIR against AIMIM member

The Delhi High Court today sought reply of the police chief on a plea seeking quashing of an FIR lodged against a member of a AIMIM for allegedly defacing the government property during the protest on Dadri lynching.
Justice Ashutosh Kumar also issued notice to the SHO of the police station concerned, where the FIR was lodged against Umar Farooq, a president of Ward no 87 of the All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) here.
The court also asked the counsel for the police as to why the FIR has been registered instead of giving permission for staging the protest peacefully.

The court was hearing a plea by Farooq, who through his counsel Shahid Ali, alleged that instead of giving permission to protest peacefully against Samajwadi Party for the alleged lynching of Akhlaq Ahmed at Dadri in Uttar Pradesh, he and his party members were "illegally detained" at Nabi Karim police station here.
The petitioner further alleged that due to their detention the scheduled protest of October 9 was called off.
However, despite of the protest being called off an FIR was lodged under the prevention of defacement of property Act.

"It is submitted that on the occasions of Eid almost all the political parties including many social, religious and political organisation have affixed/displayed such boards and posters all most on every wall, pillars and other conspicuous places.

"However, surprisingly the case was lodged against him, that to after he applied for the permission on October 5, to protest," the petitioner said.
The petitioner did not put up any board on any place and therefore, he could not have been connected with the act of putting up the board on the pole and hence FIR is liable to be quashed, the petitioner's counsel contended.