The Delhi High Court has dismissed a PIL seeking a free and fair investigation into three FIRs registered against Muslims who displayed “I love Muhammad” posters in Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh during Milad-un-Nabi, alleging that the police had filed false cases out of anti-Muslim bias and criminalised peaceful expression.
A division bench of Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela dismissed the plea, noting that the petitioner, Shujaat Ali, had no ‘public interest’ in the matter.
The Court further clarified that the Delhi High Court cannot issue directions regarding FIRs registered in other states.
The PIL had alleged that the Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand police filed false, communally biased FIRs that criminalised peaceful expression, arguing that the individuals accused were merely displaying posters as part of their own religious celebration.
However, the bench said that the accused persons themselves could seek appropriate legal remedies and, since the petitioner lacked public interest, the plea was dismissed.
The “I Love Muhammad” is a peaceful expression of Muslim devotion to the Prophet Muhammad in September during religious processions like Eid-e-Milad-un-Nabi (Barawafat).
However, it quickly escalated into a nationwide controversy due to vandalism by Hindutva groups, followed by aggressive police crackdowns, which only targeted Muslims.
The issue began on September 4, 2025, in Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh, during a Barawafat procession, when local Muslims installed a simple signboard reading “I Love Mohammed” in Zafar Wali Gali, Syed Nagar, Rawatpur, as a gesture of love and respect for the Prophet.
Soon after, members of Hindutva outfits vandalised the signboard, tearing it down while shouting anti-Muslim slogans. Despite this, the Kanpur police registered an FIR against 25 Muslims on charges of promoting enmity and disturbing public peace, while no immediate action was taken against the vandals.
Twenty-one FIRs were filed and over 1,300 Muslims booked initially, including 38 arrests, as documented by the Association for Protection of Civil Rights (APCR).
By October 7, the numbers surged to 4,505 Muslims booked and 265 arrested, including 89 in Bareilly alone, per an APCR fact-finding report.
They also conducted night raids on Muslim homes, arbitrary detentions, sometimes of minors without family notification, denial of FIR copies to lawyers, and demolition of houses that had posters of “I love Muhammed.”
Advocates like Mohammad Imran Khan described this as “unjust and dangerous,” arguing that it signalled impunity for attacks on Muslim symbols.
The post Delhi HC rejects plea alleging anti-Muslim bias in FIRs over “I love Muhammad” posters appeared first on Maktoob media.
