Indo-Pak war veterans move Supreme Court seeking SIT probe into Dharam Sansad hate speeches

Three retired Indian Army officers have approached the Supreme Court seeking directions to appoint a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe the alleged hate speeches delivered at Haridwar and Delhi Dharam Sansads [Major General SG Vombatkere & Ors v. Union of India & Ors]..The plea filed under Article 32 sought probe against hate speeches delivered at religious events organized at Haridwar and Delhi between December 17 and 19 last year. The petitioners are Major General SG Vombatkere, Colonel PK Nair and Major Priyadarshi Chowdhury.Major General Vombatkere fought in the 1965 war against Pakistan in the Sialkot Sector, and served in command and staff appointments with troops and in technical role. He was also one of the key petitioners in the challenge to the vires of the Aadhaar Act before the Supreme Court. Colonel Nair served in the Army Corps of Engineers for 30 years and participated in the 1971 war in Bangladesh besides commanding Muslim troops in his Regiment, Bombay Engineer Group. Major Chowdhury who was commissioned into the Sikh regiment was awarded the Shaurya Chakra for gallantry in a hostage rescue and counter terrorism operation in Punjab. He was also cited twice for counter terror operations in J&K..The plea filed through advocate Senthil Jagadeesan referred to the the videos circulating on social media where blatant calls for genocide against minority communities have been made.."One of the speeches specifically calls upon the police and the army to pick up arms against the minorities. In another such instance, an event was organized in Delhi on 19th December 2021. From a video of the event, a gentleman can be seen administering an oath to a group of people to “die for and kill” to make India a 'Hindu rashtra'," the plea said..Such seditious and divisive speeches violate not only the criminal law of the land, but also strike at the core of Article 19 of the Constitution of India."These speeches stain the secular fabric of the nation and also have serious potential to impact public order adversely," it was contended..The plea said that if such incidents go unchecked, it will have a serious impact on the morale of the soldiers in the armed forces who come from diverse communities and religions."From their personal experience, it is felt that such hate speeches can even affect the battle efficiency of our Armed Forces and in turn compromise national security," the petition stated..The Supreme Court had earlier issued notice to the Central and Uttarakhand governments on a plea by retired Patna High Court judge Justice Anjana Prakash seeking an independent probe into the hate speech incident.