Court Rules WhatsApp Message Circulating Hatred is an Offence

The Allahabad High Court ruled that forwarding a WhatsApp message suggesting bias against a community constitutes promoting enmity. An FIR against Afaq Ahmad, who circulated the inflammatory message, was upheld. Despite claims that the message wasn't meant to disrupt peace, the court found it conveyed harmful insinuations.

The Allahabad High Court has determined that forwarding a WhatsApp message to various individuals, suggesting that a specific community is being targeted, amounts to a preliminary offence of promoting enmity and hatred between religious groups.

As a result, the court denied the request to quash an FIR against Afaq Ahmad, who allegedly sent the inflammatory message on WhatsApp. Ahmad's defense argued that the message expressed dissatisfaction over his brother's arrest but wasn't intended to disturb public tranquillity or harmony.

However, the court highlighted that the message implicitly suggested his brother was targeted because of his community background, potentially inciting feelings of hostility and ill-will. The ruling emphasized that such messages, even without explicit content, could incite enmity as stated under section 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

(With inputs from agencies.)