The Uttarakhand High Court on Friday refused to quash FIRs filed against gym owner Deepak Kumar and directed him not to post or comment on social media about the मामले, saying such actions could प्रभावित the ongoing probe.
Justice Rakesh Thapliyal said that Kumar’s statements or videos online might interfere with the investigation and criticised him for regularly posting content and delivering “sermons” on the issue.
“The gym owner making statements or posting videos on social media might affect the ongoing investigation,” the court observed.
The court also noted the state government’s submission that Kumar had not been cooperating with investigators and had instead been “busy” on social media. It directed him to assist the probe and not “indulge unnecessarily on social media platforms so that investigation is not affected”.
Kumar had approached the court seeking quashing of the FIRs, police protection and a departmental inquiry against officers for alleged inaction. The court, however, declined relief, calling his demand for an inquiry “wholly unwarranted” at this stage and rejecting his plea for protection.
The case stems from an incident on January 26 in Pauri Garhwal, where alleged members of the Bajrang Dal objected to a Muslim shopkeeper, Vakeel Ahmed, using the word “Baba” in his shop name.
Kumar and another व्यक्ति intervened, opposing the group’s actions. Subsequently, FIRs were registered against them based on complaints by individuals linked to the Bajrang Dal and the Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
Following the incident, a group gathered outside Kumar’s gym, raised slogans against him and blocked a national highway. While Kumar filed a complaint over the protest, police registered a case based on an officer’s complaint against unidentified persons.
During earlier hearings, the court had accused Kumar of “sensationalising” the issue and questioned how he could seek protection while being named in a case. It reiterated that in such situations, police must first maintain law and order.
The court allowed the investigation to proceed, recording the state police’s assurance that due legal safeguards would be followed in cases carrying sentences of up to seven years.
In a video of the January incident, Kumar is seen questioning why other दुकानों were allowed to use “Baba” while Ahmed’s was not, noting that the shop had existed for decades. When asked his name, he responded, “My name is Mohammad Deepak.”
“I intended to convey that I was an Indian and that everyone is equal before the law,” Kumar later said.
In a separate social media post, he stated: “I am neither a Hindu, neither a Muslim, neither a Sikh, nor a Christian. First and foremost, I am a human being. Because after I die, I have to answer to God and to humanity, not to any religion.”
He added that no individual should be targeted on the basis of religion.