Delhi court directs Delhi Police to issue 10-day pre-arrest notice to Shehla Rashid in sedition case

A Delhi court on Friday directed the Delhi Police to issue a 10-day pre-arrest notice to Jammu and Kashmir People's Movement leader and activist Shehla Rashid if the need arises to arrest her in the sedition case. The Delhi Police Special Cell had on September 10, 2019, filed an FIR against Rashid for levelling false allegations against the Indian Army on the micro-blogging platform, Twitter. 

On Friday, the Patiala House Court disposed off Rashid's anticipatory bail application with this direction after it was told that the investigation is at the preliminary stage.

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Earlier in September 2019, Rashid was booked for sedition on a criminal complaint by Supreme Court lawyer Alok Srivastav who had sought the arrest of Rashid. The Special Cell of the Delhi Police lodged the FIR under sections 124-A, 153A,153, 504, 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). 

The activist had levelled a series on baseless and fake allegations on the situation in the Union Territory of Jammu and Kashmir after the abrogation of Article 370. The Army has rubbished allegations of torture levelled by Rashid and in a statement had referred to her charges as "baseless".

She had claimed that Armed forces were “ransacking” houses of common people in Jammu and Kashmir, entering their houses at night, spilling ration on the floor, mixing oil with rice and “picking up boys” for illegal detention. She had alleged that four persons were detained by Army personnel and tortured in Shopian.

In a series of tweets, Shehla attributed to “people” as saying the Jammu and Kashmir Police department has no law and order situation. “They’ve been rendered powerless. Everything is in the hands of paramilitary forces,” read a tweet by her. According to Shehla, while petrol and diesel are available in the region, “people have started running out of medicines now”.

She had also falsely alleged that in Sophian, four Kashmiris were called at an Army camp and tortured, adding that a mike was kept close to the table so that entire area could hear their screams.

Rashid had tweeted all these on August 17.