Former JNU student Shehla Rashid to face prosecution for tweet on army

Delhi lieutenant governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has granted sanction for former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader  and human rights activist Shehla Rashid’s prosecution for tweets about the army allegedly aimed at promoting enmity and acts prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

In September 2019 in Delhi, Rashid was booked following lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava’s complaint on her tweets accusing the military forces of ransacking homes and fostering panic in Kashmir.

The army rejected the allegations and said such “unverified and fake news are spread by inimical elements and organizations to incite unsuspecting population.”

Officials said the Delhi government’s home department in its opinion on the matter said the nature of the case, the location to which the tweets refer, and false allegations against the army make it a serious issue.

“Not every tweet is to be proceeded with, under criminal law. But the tweet of the kind in this case needs to be processed against religious fault-lines have been created in J&K [Jammu & Kashmir] by the likes of Shehla Rashid,” the department said. “The case is made of for prosecution u/s 153A IPC [Indian Penal Code]. This relates to public order.”

Saxena imposed the penalty in accordance with Section 196 of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which deals with offences against the state.

Rashid, who may spend up to three years in jail if found guilty, remained silent at the time.