A gym owner in Uttarakhand who called himself 'Mohammad Deepak' in solidarity with a Muslim shopkeeper against a Hindutva mob has been directed by the state's high court not to make social media comments on cases stemming from the incident.
Deepak Kumar, who is an accused in one of the cases, had approached the HC to seek quashing of the FIR. However, the Uttarakhand High Court refused to do so, citing that he should cooperate with the investigation and not indulge in unnecessary social media comments.
Justice Rakesh Thapliyal's bench ruled that Kumar should not sensationalise the matter on social media and should cooperate with the investigation, which will be conducted in a fair and transparent manner.
The court had questioned how Kumar could seek protection from the police when he stood accused in a criminal case and had criticised him for his comments on social media.
Kumar's lawyer argued that it was not he who first publicised the issue, but the judge underlined that Kumar's complaint in the matter is also being investigated by the police.
The police have registered two FIRs on Kumar's complaint, and a case has been registered against him for allegedly rioting, causing hurt, and insulting with intent to provoke breach of the peace.
