Hate speech: Akbaruddin Owaisi moves High Court against arrest

Hyderabad: Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen leader Akbaruddin Owaisi, who returned to India from London on Monday morning, filed a writ petition in the High Court seeking a stay on his arrest. He has also asked that no more cases should be filed against him in the case of delivering hate speeches against a particular community. He has also sought four more days to appear before the police. Owaisi, who is an MIM MLA and leader of the party in Andhra Pradesh Assembly, has citied medical reasons in his plea for time. The police seeks to record his statement in connection with cases registered against him. Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen MLA, who is also his party`s floor leader in the Andhra Pradesh state assembly, moved a petition through his counsel in the High Court contending that he has been implicated in these cases due to political reasons. In his petition, Owaisi`s counsel claimed that, "He is an MLA and he is available to the investigation at any time and that there is no need to arrest him. "Despite the police registering suo-motu cases at Nirmal and Nizamabad police stations, more complaints were being lodged at different places and he sought quashing of all the FIRs registered in Andhra Pradesh," he counsel said in his petition. Owaisi was reportedly undergoing treatment in London. As part of a further probe into the two cases, notices were issued against Owaisi on January 04 and he was directed to appear before police in Adilabad district on January 07, as well as the Nizambad II Town police on January 08. Another notice was served to the MIM legislator by Osmania police asking him to appear before it on January 10. While two FIRs were registered suo motu at Adilabad and Nizamabad districts, a third case was registered by Osmania University police, following a court directive after Owaisi allegedly used inflammatory language against a particular community last month.

Fresh complaints continued to pour in against Owaisi from Malkangiri and Vanasthalipuram, though no cases have been registered, police said. Owaisi, who represents Chandrayangutta Assembly constituency, has been booked under Section 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion) and Section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) of IPC. The MIM legislator has also been booked under Section 121 (waging or attempting to wage war, or abetting waging of war, against the Government of India) of IPC. Meanwhile, TDP and BJP leaders held protests at various places in the state, demanding action against Owaisi. TDP MLA Revant Reddy demanded that Owaisi be disqualified for his comments. Speaking at a protest, state BJP president G Kishan Reddy said that steps should be taken to ensure that Owaisi returns to India to face the law.