New Delhi, August 24, 2023: In a significant development, the Supreme Court on Wednesday put a hold on a trial court’s directive that required Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan to provide a voice sample. The order pertains to a case in which Khan is accused of delivering a hate speech and using derogatory language against BSP chief Mayawati back in 2007.
The voice sample was sought to be matched with Khan’s recorded speech from a public meeting held in Rampur’s Tanda area in 2007, captured on a CD.
A bench of justices A S Bopanna and P K Mishra took action, issuing notices to both the Uttar Pradesh government and the complainant in the case, following a plea filed by Khan. The bench stated, “In the meanwhile, there shall be an interim stay of the direction of the trial court order dated October 29, 2022, and upheld by the high court dated July 25, 2023.”
Khan has challenged the July 25 decision of the Allahabad High Court, which upheld the order of the trial court in Rampur.
The complaint was originally lodged by Dheeraj Kumar Sheel against Khan at Tanda police station under the SC/ST Act in 2007. Khan was charged with delivering a hate speech and allegedly using derogatory language against the then-chief minister, Mayawati.
The case was registered in Rampur under sections 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 171-G (false statement in connection with an election) of the Indian Penal Code. The police had also invoked section 125 of the Representation of Peoples Act and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act against Khan.
