Delhi Police on September 6 had lodged the case against Shehla Rashid under sedition law. Delhi’s Patiala House Court, however, on Tuesday, granted interim protection from arrest.

The FIR against Shehla Rashid was registered under Sections 124A (sedition), 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion), 153 (wantonly giving provocation with intention to cause riot), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 505 (spreading rumours) of the Indian Penal Code for her remarks on the ground situation in Jammu and Kashmir. The FIR was lodged on the basis of a complaint filed by an SC lawyer on allegations of defaming Indian Army through her tweets.

Earlier, Shehla Rashid had claimed that the Army was indiscriminately picking up men, raiding houses and torturing people in Jammu and Kashmir. In a series of tweets, Shehla Rashid had claimed that human rights abuses were being carried out in Kashmir to serve the agenda of the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party.

Her allegations had drawn sharp criticism from the government and the Army. Shehla Rashid, however, had said she was ready to give the evidence when the Army constitutes an inquiry.

THE ALLEGATIONS

Shehla Rashid had accused the Indian Army of human rights abuses amid a clampdown in Jammu and Kashmir post the abrogation of Article 370.

In another post, she wrote, “Armed forces are entering houses at night, picking up boys, ransacking houses, deliberately spilling rations on the floor, mixing oil with rice, etc.”

WHAT THE ARMY SAID

The Army has officially rejected Shehla Rashid’s claims and called them “baseless” and “unverified”.

After the Army dismissed her claims, many accused Shehla Rashid of spreading fake news to disrupt peace in Kashmir.

Supreme Court lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava filed a criminal complaint against Shehla Rashid over her allegations on the situation in Kashmir.