Hyderabad: The Telangana High Court on Thursday directed a city based lawyer to approach the Supreme Court of India in connection with Islamophobic posts on Twitter. The hearing bench told the lawyer that power to adjudicate the issue vests with the Apex court.
While hearing a public interest litigation (PIL), a bench comprising Chief Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Vijay Sen Reddy said since the issue is pan India, hence the liberty was granted to the petitioner lawyer to go to the Apex court as it falls under its jurisdiction.
In the year 2020 a Hyderabad based lawyer Khaja Aijazuddin had filed a writ under Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking action against Twitter for allegedly spreading hate against one community during pandemic. Apart from Twitter, Union Cabinet Secretary, Union Home Secretary, DGP, Telangana State, Commissioner of Police, Hyderabad City were made respondents.
The lawyer alleged that the social network users are tweeting, messaging illegally and trending on the Twitter attaching pandemic with the religion with hashtaqs #Islamiccoronavirusjihad, #Coronajihad, #Tablighijamat, #Nizamuddinidiots, #TablighiJamatVirus and Islamicphobic posts and the attachment of the pandemic Coronavirus with particularly Muslim community.
The Islamicphobic trends have resulted hurting the feelings and manifestly insulting the religion and the said trending may disturb the communal harmony of the Country. Aijazuddin also asked the court to register criminal cases against the twitter and the users who are spreading hatred messages under the IPC and IT Act.
