Supreme Court refuses to quash FIR against Neha Singh Rathore in sedition case

The Supreme Court rejected folk singer Neha Singh Rathore’s plea to quash an FIR filed for alleged seditious social media posts. The court declined to interfere in the ongoing investigation, increasing the likelihood of her arrest by Uttar Pradesh Police.

New Delhi: Popular folk singer Neha Singh Rathore has suffered a major disappointment from the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court has rejected her petition to quash the FIR against her for sedition and objectionable posts. The court not only refused to quash the FIR but also refused to stay her arrest.

The case relates to her posting objectionable posts on social media against Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah, and the BJP during the Pahalgam terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir. She is accused of posting seditious and inflammatory content.

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Who filed the FIR?

The FIR against Neha was filed by national poet Abhay Pratap Singh at the Hazratganj police station in Lucknow, the capital of Uttar Pradesh. He alleges that Neha's posts are an attempt to disrupt national peace and harm India's unity. He also said that the content was also shared in Pakistan, reflecting a "treasonous mindset."

Kapil Sibal's Arguments

Senior lawyer Kapil Sibal, representing Neha, argued in court that treating a single social media post as treasonous is a direct attack on freedom of expression. He said that Neha did not attempt to incite violence or discontent and that the sections imposed in the FIR were added without any strong basis.

'No Interference in Investigation'

The bench of Justice J.K. Maheshwari and Justice Vijay Bishnoi stated that the investigation process is ongoing after the FIR is registered, and the court cannot interfere at this stage.

The court clarified that the veracity of the contents of the FIR is a matter for the investigation, not the court. On this basis, the court dismissed the petition.

Social Media Reaction

Following this Supreme Court decision, the fear of Neha's arrest has increased. Since the case is now fully in the hands of the UP Police, if the police find Neha's response unsatisfactory, she could be arrested soon.

Social media is divided on this issue. Some are calling it an attack on freedom of expression, while others are considering it a case of promoting anti-national ideas.

Neha Singh Rathore's case is becoming an example of the conflict between art, politics, and the law. It raises a debate about whether an artist has complete freedom to express her opinion or whether her opinion can fall under legal scrutiny and land her in trouble.

It will be interesting to see what conclusions the further investigation yields.