PIL Filed in Delhi HC to Quash FIRs Over ‘I Love Muhammad’ Posters in UP, Uttarakhand
Petition Challenges Criminal Cases Against Muslim Community for Peaceful Religious Expression During Mila-un-Nabi Festival
A public interest litigation (PIL) has been filed before the Delhi High Court seeking to quash FIRs registered against members of the Muslim community for displaying posters and banners reading “I Love Muhammad” during the Mila-un-Nabi festival, which commemorates both the birth and passing of the Prophet Muhammad.
The petition, filed by Shujaat Ali, a representative of Raza Academy and National President of Muslims Students Organisation of India, alleges that police in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand have registered false and communal FIRs that criminalize peaceful religious expression. It contends that those displaying the posters were merely celebrating their religious festival and expressing devotion to God.
According to the plea, without any cogent or independent evidence, the accused have been framed in multiple criminal cases by members of the majority community, with allegations of rioting, criminal intimidation, and breach of peace. Invoking Articles 14, 15, 19, 21, and 25 of the Constitution, the petition argues that the FIRs registered in Kanpur and Bahraid (UP) and Udharmsingh Nagar (UK) violate fundamental rights to equality, free expression, liberty, and religious freedom. The plea emphasizes that criminalizing peaceful religious expression harms the petitioners and undermines the secular fabric of the nation. The plea was filed through advocate Lakshay Sharma.