The Allahabad High Court has granted the Uttar Pradesh government two weeks’ time to respond to a plea filed by Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party MLA Abbas Ansari in connection with a 2022 hate speech case registered in Mau district.
Justice Sanjay Kumar Singh, while hearing the petition on Monday, also directed Inspector Gangaram, the investigating officer named as opposite party number 2 in the case, to file his response.
The petition challenges the forensic report on an audio recording purportedly containing inflammatory remarks delivered during a political rally in Mau. Abbas Ansari was reportedly present at the event where his brother, in a controversial speech, allegedly issued veiled threats against government officials.
The court observed, “Learned Additional Government Advocate prays for and is granted two weeks’ time to file counter affidavit. Let a notice be issued to the opposite party no. 2 returnable at an early date. Put up this case as fresh on June 11, 2025. In the meantime, opposite party no. 2 may also file a counter affidavit, if he so desires.”
The case stems from a March 2022 incident during the state assembly elections, when a video of the speech surfaced online. The Mau Police had registered an FIR against Abbas and his brother under Sections 171F (undue influence at an election) and 506 (criminal intimidation) of the Indian Penal Code.
The matter is now scheduled to be heard next on June 11.
