Supreme Court refuses to quash FIR against singer Neha Singh Rathore over tweets on PM Modi
Court declines to interfere at quashing stage; allows objections during trial
The Supreme Court has dismissed Bhojpuri singer and activist Neha Singh Rathore’s plea seeking to quash an FIR lodged against her for social media posts involving Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Bihar elections, and Hindu-Muslim politics. A bench of Justices JK Maheshwari and Vijay Bishnoi held that it was not inclined to interfere at this stage but clarified Rathore could raise objections regarding the charges during trial.
The FIR was filed following Rathore’s posts after the Pahalgam terror attack alleging Modi’s visit to Bihar was to threaten Pakistan for electoral gains and that the BJP sought to polarize voters on religious lines. The Allahabad High Court had earlier refused to quash the FIR, noting derogatory references to the Prime Minister and the sensitive timing of the posts.
Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Rathore, argued the charges including mutiny and waging war against the State were disproportionate and an abuse of process. The Supreme Court remarked that the refusal to quash the FIR was not a judgement of guilt and that objections could be raised when charges are framed.
While the Court refused to comment on merits, it preserved Rathore’s right to challenge the charges later, emphasizing that trial rights remain intact despite the plea dismissal.