Appreciate SC observations against Nupur Sharma: Mehbooba Mufti

Srinagar, July 01: PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti on Friday "appreciated" the Supreme Court's observations against suspended BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma over her "provocative comments" on Prophet Mohammad. However, she asked when the apex court will take cognizance of the Delhi Police's different yardsticks applied to Sharma and fact-checking website Alt News co-founder Mohammed Zubair.

Earlier in the day, the Supreme Court came down heavily on Sharma over her remarks on the Prophet, saying her "loose tongue" has "set the entire country on fire" and that she is "single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country".

Sharma's remark against the Prophet during a TV debate triggered protests across the country and drew sharp reactions from many Gulf countries. The BJP subsequently suspended her from the party.

The court's observations came in the backdrop of the brutal murder of a tailor in Udaipur by two men who had posted videos online claiming that they were avenging an insult to Islam.

"Appreciate SC's observations about the provocative comments made by Nupur Sharma. But when will they take cognisance of the different yardsticks used by Delhi Police vis a vis Nupur Sharma & @zoo_bear?" Mufti said on Twitter.

Alt News co-founder Zubair was arrested by the Delhi Police on June 27 for allegedly hurting religious sentiments through one of his tweets posted in 2018. Police, while seeking an extension of Zubair's custody by five days, had told the trial court that the accused was allegedly following a trend where he used religious tweets in an effort to get famous and that there was a deliberate effort to create social disharmony and hurt religious feelings.

Zubair's counsel had said that the photo which he used in his tweet is from the 1983 Hindi film 'Kissi Se Na Kehna' and that the movie was not banned. However, the court rejected the submission, saying it was of no assistance to the accused at this stage.