Ex-student leader Shehla Rashid to face trial for tweets about army

• Delhi Governor Vinai Saxena has sanctioned the prosecution of former JNU student leader Shehla Rashid for tweets about the army allegedly aimed at promoting enmity
• Rashid was charged in a complaint in September 2019 in Delhi over her tweets accusing the armed forces of looting houses and creating an environment of fear in Kashmir
• Saxena granted the sanction under the Code of Criminal Procedure’s Section 196 that relates to offences against the state

Delhi Governor Vinai Kumar Saxena has sanctioned the prosecution of former Jawaharlal Nehru University student leader Shehla Rashid for tweets about the army allegedly aimed at promoting enmity and acting prejudicial to maintaining harmony, officials aware of the matter said on Tuesday.

Rashid was charged in a complaint filed by lawyer Alakh Alok Srivastava in September 2019 in Delhi over her tweets accusing the armed forces of looting houses and creating an environment of fear in Kashmir.
The army denied the allegations and stated that  “unverified and fake news are spread by inimical elements and organizations to incite unsuspecting population.”

Officials said the Delhi government’s home department in its opinion on the matter said the nature of the case, the location to which the tweets refer, and false allegations against the army make it a serious issue. “Not every tweet is to be proceeded with, under criminal law. But the tweet of the kind in this case needs to be processed against religious fault-lines have been created in J&K [Jammu & Kashmir] by the likes of Shehla Rashid,” the department said. “The case is made of for prosecution u/s 153A IPC [Indian Penal Code]. This relates to public order.”

Saxena granted the sanction under the Code of Criminal Procedure’s Section 196 that relates to offences against the state. There was no immediate reaction from Rashid, who faces imprisonment for up to three years if convicted.