My name is Khan, but I am not a terrorist: SC

Chandigarh, Sept 27: The

on Wednesday, Sept 26 told

Police that no innocent person should be branded a terrorist and put behind bars simply because he belongs to a minority community.

A bench of Justices HL Dattu and CK Prasad categorically told Gujarat Police that "My name is Khan, but I am not a terrorist."

The above statement by Supreme Court reminds us of Shahrukh Khan's famous dialogue from blockbuster film "My Name is Khan". The film was a take on global terrorism through a love story.

Judges of Supreme Court stressed that Police must ensure that no innocent person has the feeling of sufferance only because of their names or surnames.

Supreme Court made the observation while it ordered the acquittal of 11 persons, arrested under the Terrorist and Disruptive Activities (Prevention) Act and other laws, and convicted for allegedly planning to create communal violence during the Jagannath Puri Yatra in Ahmedabad in 1994.

"We emphasise and deem it necessary to repeat that the gravity of the evil to the community from terrorism can never furnish an adequate reason for invading personal liberty, except in accordance with the procedure established by the Constitution and the law," the Bench said.

Political and social observers have hailed the latest observation by Supreme Court, saying it would help in erasing the constant fear under which the minority community of India suffer.

OneIndia News