Supreme Court Examines Plea for Consolidation of Criminal Cases Against Jitendra Narayan Tyagi

The Supreme Court has issued notices on a plea by Jitendra Narayan Tyagi to consolidate multiple criminal cases against him, citing threats to his life. Tyagi faces charges from speeches at a Haridwar religious event, drawing significant criticism and legal action. The court has yet to decide on his protection from coercive measures.

The Supreme Court addressed a petition on Friday presented by Jitendra Narayan Tyagi, formerly Syed Waseem Rizvi, who is facing multiple criminal charges for his allegedly incendiary speeches against Muslims made at the Haridwar Dharm Sansad in 2021.

A bench including Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta listened to advocate Anurag Kishore, representing Tyagi, discuss the challenges Tyagi faces, highlighting four criminal cases lodged against him, one of which is in Srinagar. Due to life-threatening risks associated with traveling to Jammu and Kashmir, Tyagi is seeking the consolidation of this case with those in Haridwar.

The court has sent notices to Jammu and Kashmir, the Uttarakhand government, and Danish Hassan, the complainant in Srinagar, requesting their responses within four weeks. Although the bench is contemplating amalgamating the cases, it declined to offer Tyagi protection from coercive actions in the active cases, which include several lodged in Uttarakhand. Arrest warrants in Srinagar remain active as efforts to address Tyagi's pleaded threats to life and liberty continue.

(With inputs from agencies.)