SC grants relief to BJP leader Prashant Umrao in case over his …

On April 6, the Supreme Court granted relief to Uttar Pradesh BJP spokesperson and advocate Prashant Umrao in his case for allegedly posting a "fake" video about the 'attack' against Bihari migrant workers in Tamil Nadu. The Supreme Court modified Prashant Umrao's anticipatory bail granted by the Madras High Court and said that the anticipatory bail "would be also applicable to any other FIR registered in the State of Tamil Nadu with regard to the same cause of action." The Supreme Court also modified the conditions imposed by the Madras High Court which directed him to report to the police between 10.30 am to 5.30 pm every day for 15 days and thereafter as and when required for interrogation and said that Prashant Umrao should appear before the Investigating Officer on April 10 at 10 am and thereafter when the Investigating Officer calls him.

The Court said, "The condition under Clause (b) mentioned in paragraph 14 of the impugned judgment and order which requires the petitioner to report before the respondent Police, daily at 10:30 a.m. and 05:30 p.m. for a period of 15 days and thereafter as and when required for interrogation is modified to the extent that the petitioner shall appear before the Investigating Officer on 10.04.2023 initially at 10:00 a.m. and thereafter as and when called upon to do so by the Investigating Officer." Also, the Court issued notice to Tamil Nadu on Umrao's plea seeking the clubbing of FIRs registered against him in different police stations for his tweet. The State's counsel Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi told the bench that the other FIRs do not name Umrao as an accused.

Prashant Umrao's counsel Senior Advocate Siddharth Luthra said that there was an inaccuracy in the tweet and on realising that, he deleted the tweet and now there are multiple FIRs harassing the young man. Prashant Umrao approached the top court for clubbing of the FIRs registered against him in different police stations over his tweet and an appeal against the condition imposed by the Madras High Court while granting him anticipatory bail. Prashant Umrao, the standing counsel of Goa, was booked for allegedly tweeting disinformation about migrant labourers from Bihar in Tamil Nadu.

The Tamil Nadu police booked Umrao for the tweet and FIRs were registered in various police stations in the state under Sections 153 (provocation with intent to cause riot), 153A (hate speech), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) and 505 (statements conducing to public mischief) of the Indian Penal Code.

(with inputs from ANI)