A Delhi court on Wednesday sought a response from the Delhi Police on a plea seeking registration of an FIR against student activist Nishu Azad and her father, Sanjay Azad, over alleged social media posts concerning Hindu deities.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Mridul Gupta of the Patiala House Court directed the police to file an action taken report in the matter. The case will next be heard in January 2027.
The plea was filed by advocate Amita Sachdeva, who claimed that she had earlier approached the Delhi Police with a complaint but no FIR was registered.
Complaint Refers to Four Social Media Posts
According to the complaint, four posts allegedly uploaded between September 2023 and August 2026 referred to Hindu deities including Shiva, Krishna, Saraswati and Durga.
Sachdeva alleged that the posts contained objectionable references and remained accessible despite her request that they be removed.
She has sought registration of an FIR under Sections 299 and 196 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant provisions of the Information Technology Act. Section 299 deals with deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings, while Section 196 concerns promoting enmity between groups.
Sachdeva has also alleged that some of the posts used derogatory language about Hindu deities. These allegations have not been adjudicated by the court.
Case Comes Amid Jantar Mantar Controversy
The complaint comes amid a separate controversy involving Nishu Azad and her father in connection with protests at Delhi’s Jantar Mantar.
Right wing influencer Swatantra Bhardwaj had claimed in a video that he assaulted Sanjay Azad during the protests. Bhardwaj was later arrested in connection with the incident and granted interim bail by a Delhi court.
On September 15, the court granted Bhardwaj three weeks of interim bail and barred him from posting about the case on social media. The court also noted concerns about aspects of the Delhi Police investigation while considering his bail plea.
The present proceedings, however, concern a separate complaint about social media posts.
Court Has Not Ordered FIR Yet
The Delhi court has so far only sought an action taken report from the police. It has not directed the registration of an FIR against Nishu Azad or Sanjay Azad.
The Delhi Police is expected to inform the court about the action taken on Sachdeva’s earlier complaint when the matter comes up for hearing again in January 2027.
