Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi (SHP)

New Delhi, Sep 20: The Delhi Police on people seeking sedition against senior Congress leader Mani Shankar Aiyar has announced that "a mere uttering of a derogatory word, without more overt act, against PM of India, did not constitute an offence under IPC sections 124-A/153-A."

The police stated that IPC sections 124-A/153-A related to promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.

One of the advocates, Ajay Agarwal had filed two complaints against Aiyar. Agarwal accused Aiyar of calling the PM, 'neech aadmi' and igniting hatred in the mind of the voters before 2017 elections. The second accusation made by Agarwal was that Aiyar spoke ill of the Indian government on his visit to Pakistan.

Agarwal filed another complaint where he alleged that Aiyar held a meeting at his residence that included former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, former Vice President Hamid Ansari, Pakistan High Commissioner and a former Pakistan Foreign Minister. Agarwal accused Aiyar of conducting meetings without the permission of the authorities concerned and claimed that Aiyar broke protocol and conspired with the others in the meeting against India.

An inquiry regarding the credibility of the accusation was held by Crime Branch of Delhi Police who were then directed to file an ATR in the matter.

Seeking dismissal of the plea filed by Agarwal, the police in its ATR said, "it is submitted that breaking protocol if any, does not attract any penal provision under IPC or any other local & special law."

Further, the police asserted that the allegations of conspiracy against the country were mere assumptions and no evidence supporting the claims by Agarwal were found.

The ATR was filed in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Vasundhara Azad who has set December 16 as the date for arguments on the status report filed by the police.