New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday directed the Allahabad High Court registry to list afresh the sedition case against former Uttar Pradesh Governor Aziz Qureshi, informed his lawyer.

“There was a complaint against Aziz Qureshi, ex-governor of Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand. An FIR was registered against him in Uttar Pradesh under Section 124 A and other sections. A writ was filed in Allahabad High Court against him in which the Allahabad High Court had provided protection. The final hearing took place in Allahabad High Court last week, and it was dismissed as withdrawn by the court,” Qureshi’s lawyer HD Hasnain said while speaking to ANI.

“Justice MR Shah said that we cannot hear it if it is withdrawn. He told us to go to the honourable (Allahabad) High Court and move an application,” he further said.
The former Governor’s advocate HD Hasnain said, “He (Justice MR Shah) told us to move a fresh petition in Allahabad High Court and the decision will be made again on merit.”

The former Uttar Pradesh Governor Qureshi was booked last year in September under sedition charges by Uttar Pradesh Police for his alleged derogatory remarks against Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government in the state.

According to UP police, the FIR against Qureshi was filed on the complaint of BJP worker Akash Saxena at Civil Lines police station in Rampur district.

As per the copy of the FIR, the former Governor is booked under sections 124A (Sedition), 153A (Promoting enmity between groups on the grounds of religion, race), 153B (Imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) and 505(1)(B) (intent to cause fear or alarm among the public) of Indian Penal Code (IPC).

In the FIR, police said that Saxena, in his complaint said that Qureshi had gone to Azam Khan’s house to meet Rampur MLA and Khan’s wife Tanzeem Fatima, where he compared the Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government to “Devil and blood-sucking monsters”.
Saxena, in his complaint further said the “controversial remark made by Qureshi can create tension between two communities and even lead to communal riots”.

In an earlier interview with ANI, Qureshi said that his statement had been misquoted to harm him politically.

Clarifying the use of the word ‘Saitan’ during his meeting with Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan’s wife, he said that the word is used for a child too who is bullying other children.

(With inputs from ANI)