A Haridwar court has acquitted Jitendra Narayan Tyagi, formerly known as Wasim Rizvi, in the 2021 Dharam Sansad hate speech case. The Chief Judicial Magistrate, Avinash Kumar Srivastava, found the evidence against Tyagi insufficient to prove his involvement in the alleged offenses, leading to his acquittal on Saturday .
The case stemmed from a three-day religious event held at Niketan Ashram in Haridwar in December 2021, where several speakers were accused of delivering provocative speeches targeting the Muslim community. Tyagi, who converted to Hinduism in December 2021, was arrested on January 13, 2022, and released on bail in May 2022 .
The court’s decision has drawn attention to the challenges in prosecuting hate speech cases, particularly when evidence is deemed insufficient to establish guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.
Sources