The Supreme Court on Friday took significant action by issuing notices regarding the plea of Jitendra Narayan Tyagi, previously known as Syed Waseem Rizvi, who seeks to consolidate all criminal cases filed against him. These cases stem from his alleged inflammatory speeches against Muslims during the Haridwar Dharam Sansad event in 2021.
A bench led by Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta responded to advocate Anurag Kishore’s submissions, which highlighted the security risks Tyagi faces while traveling to Jammu and Kashmir for hearings, due to persistent threats against him. Kishore advocated for the clubbing of a Srinagar case with others currently being heard in Haridwar, Uttarakhand.
The bench has sought responses within four weeks from the Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand governments, along with Danish Hassan, the complainant in the Srinagar case.
While the Supreme Court agreed to consider the plea for consolidating the cases, it declined to offer Tyagi any protection against coercive measures in the interim. Currently, three cases are pending before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Haridwar, with a separate complaint filed in Srinagar that led to a special task force being constituted for Tyagi’s arrest.
Tyagi’s petition cites severe threats to his life and safety, arguing that such circumstances severely curtail his fundamental right to life and liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution. This situation, he claims, prevents him from accessing his legal remedies effectively. He has received multiple death threats, and “fatwas” calling for his execution have been issued, including one by Maulana Syed Mohammad Shabibul Husaini.
This legal challenge follows the events of a religious conclave held in Haridwar from December 17 to 19, 2021, organized by Hindu sages. A complaint by Nadeem Ali from Haridwar alleged that the conclave served as a platform for instigating violence against Muslims, with Tyagi among those accused of spreading provocative and objectionable content against the Holy Quran and Prophet Mohammad. These allegations were further fueled by videos of the speeches going viral on social media.
