In his plea, ‘Mohammad’ Deepak requested for police security and sought registration of an FIR in opposition to alleged perpetrators of despise speech, and a departmental inquiry in opposition to police officials for purportedly partisan conduct. File
| Photo Credit rating: The Hindu
Uttarakhand High Court on Thursday (March 19, 2026) puzzled the petition filed by a Kotdwar-primarily primarily based fitness heart owner, ‘Mohammad’ Deepak, seeking police security amid alleged threat to his life and said that “an accused” seeking police security while investigation is on-going changed into once “wholly unwarranted” and indicative of an strive and handbook the probe.
A single desire Bench of Justice Rakesh Thapliyal made these oral observations while hearing a writ petition seeking quashing of an FIR lodged in opposition to Mr. Deepak on the complaint of contributors of an actual-flit crew who accused Mr. Deepak of rioting and traumatic public mumble.
In his plea, Mr. Deepak also requested for police security and sought registration of an FIR in opposition to alleged perpetrators of despise speech, and a departmental inquiry in opposition to police officials for purportedly partisan conduct.
Questioning the maintainability of the petitioner’s extra prayers below Article 226, the Bench said that he’s going to hang approached the magistrate for registration of FIR in opposition to despise speech.
“As a change of availing that treatment, submitting a petition for registration is wholly unwarranted, namely when the actual person seeking it is himself an accused,” the Court said.
The Court requested about the “extent of threat perception on the petitioner” from the counsel for the assert on which the identical has responded that the investigating officer had reported no threat perception to Mr. Deepak.
Paying attention to this, the Bench puzzled the explanation at the lend a hand of keep a matter to for security and necessary that the petitioner’s residence remained that of a “suspected accused”.
Indicate Navnish Negi, who represented Mr. Deepak argued that his shopper had been facing threats and that a crowd had gathered originate air his put and fitness heart, developing apprehension for his security. To this the court said that nothing took place to his shopper since January 26, 2026.
“First incident took place on January 26… then 2d took place on January 31. February has passed, half of of March is over. Someone has touched your shopper thus a long way,” the Court puzzled.
Justice Thapliyal added that police is more cautious for the security to Mr. Deepak as he is an accused in a single other FIR and police has to ascertain the matter and file a imprint sheet.
The Bench also took excessive note of the prayer seeking a departmental inquiry in opposition to police officials, pointing out that such allegations were unsupported by proof and may perchance well presumably intrude with pending investigations.
It also expressed displeasure over drafting of the petition and cautioned the counsel in opposition to along side a pair of reliefs that may perchance well presumably “sensationalise” the misfortune and indicated that the identical can also merely be brushed apart on this floor.
Within the center of the proceedings, the Direct suggested the Court that two FIRs had already been registered on the premise of the petitioner’s complaints. The petitioner’s counsel sought time to take a look at these facts, and the court granted time till the next day.
Mr. Deepak drew nationwide attention after he confronted a crew of true-flit activists accused of harassing a 71-365 days-old Muslim store owner and pressuring him to rename his store. The episode took place on Republic Day in Kotdwar. A video of the battle of words later went viral, namely for the moment when he acknowledged himself as “Mera naam Mohammad Deepak”.
Within the aftermath, Mr. Deepak reported receiving threats, and on January 31, 2026, a crew gathered originate air his fitness heart in inform. The police registered three FIRs in connection with the episode, one in every of which is lodged in opposition to Mr. Deepak. The incident also ended in an outpouring of give a rob to for Mr. Deepak from throughout the country, even supposing he said that his exchange suffered as fitness heart memberships declined following his intervention.
Published – March 19, 2026 10:11 pm IST
