Supreme Court Issues Notice To MP Police In Plea Seeking Quashing Of FIR Over WhatsApp Message Saying Consuming Beef Was Essential For ‘Good Hindu’

A bench of Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan issued notice to the Madhya Pradesh Police and others on the plea filed by Buddha Prakash Bouddha.

Bouddha moved the Apex Court against the order of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, which dismissed his plea seeking quashing of the FIR against him.

The High Court had said in its order that the allegations in the FIR disclosed prima facie ingredients of the offences invoked.

"The present matter involves allegations of publication or circulation of material capable of hurting religious sentiments or promoting disharmony. The allegations contained in the impugned FIR, when taken at their face value, disclose prima facie ingredients of the offences invoked,” the High Court had said.

According to the police, Bouddha posted a seven-page message on WhatsApp containing "derogatory and misleading" comments regarding the Hindu religion and the Brahmin community.

It was alleged in the complaint that the messages claimed "consuming beef was essential to being a good Hindu and bull sacrifices and meat consumption were obligatory on certain occasions".

The messages also claimed that "Brahmins regularly consumed bovine meat, and cows and bulls were allegedly slaughtered in various religious ceremonies."

Pursuant to this, an FIR was registered against Bouddha under sections 196(1)(b) (promotion of enmity between groups), 299 (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 353(1)(c) and 353(2) (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.