Folk singer Neha Singh Rathore on Tuesday approached the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court seeking quashing of an FIR filed against her in connection with a social media post related to the recent terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
Rathore is accused of stoking communal sentiments and threatening the country’s unity through her online remarks. The FIR, lodged at Hazratganj Police Station by complainant Abhay Pratap Singh in the last week of April, alleges that the singer targeted a particular religious community and attempted to incite disharmony between groups.
The matter was taken up by a division bench comprising Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice B.R. Singh, which adjourned the hearing till May 12 after the state sought more time to present evidence.
Appearing for the state, Additional Advocate General V.K. Shahi and government counsel V.K. Singh submitted that there was sufficient material available against Rathore to justify the registration of the FIR. The court accepted their request for additional time.
In her petition, Rathore has contended that she has been wrongly implicated under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, including offences related to promoting communal hatred, disturbing public order, and endangering the sovereignty and integrity of India. She is also facing charges under the Information Technology Act.
Rathore maintains that her comments were made in the exercise of her fundamental right to free expression and that the FIR amounts to misuse of legal provisions to silence dissent.
The court will next hear the matter on May 12.
