This story is from September 6, 2017

‘Tweet was to flay ISIS, not to hurt Hindu sentiments’

‘Tweet was to flay ISIS, not to hurt Hindu sentiments’
Representative image
AHMEDABAD: Defending the tweet by social activist Teesta Setalvad, juxtaposing an ISIS militant with Hindu deities, her advocate told Gujarat high court on Tuesday that her sole intention was to criticize the ISIS militancy.
Setalvad’s advocate made submissions with regard to the quashing petition filed in 2015, after she was booked by Ghatlodia police.
Setalvad’s advocate, Yogesh Ravani, submitted that her intention was never to outrage the religious sentiments of Hindus.
She was completely misunderstood. He also clarified that there was no tampering with the images of the goddesses.
After brief arguments from Setalvad’s lawyer, the high court told the police to continue with the investigation and complete it. The court also asked Setalvad to co-operate with the probe. Her lawyer, however, submitted that she was questioned in this regard on six occasions and she always cooperated with the investigation.
The government submitted that the investigators required the laptop used by the social activist, but her lawyer told the court that the laptop is not in her possession as it has been stolen.
Setalvad was booked at two police stations in the city, as members of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad and Shiv Sena took exception to her posting the juxtaposed picture – the ISIS militant and photo-shopped images with Hindu imagery such as Sudarshan Chakra and goddess Kali. Charges of hurting religious sentiments and creating enmity between two communities were levelled against her. The HC earlier questioned how such charges could be invoked against a person for a tweet.
The complainant, Raju Patel, claimed that he was offended at seeing the image on his Facebook page. Besides IPC provisions, Setalvad has also been booked for alleged violation of the Information Technology Act.
The high court has posted further hearing on the quashing petition in November.
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