The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notice to the police and the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government on a petition which has alleged that hate speeches were made by Congress leaders Sonia Gandhi, Salman Khurshid and the BJP’s Anurag Thakur and Kapil Mishra.

A Bench of Chief Justice D.N. Patel and Justice C. Hari Shankar gave the direction on the plea, filed by one Deepak Madan, who also has sought registration of cases against those allegedly making hate speeches and setting up of a special investigation team (SIT) to assess property damage in last month’s riots in northeast Delhi.

The petition has also sought the attachment of properties of people allegedly involved in making hate speeches and suggested selling them off to compensate victims of the communal violence in the national capital.

Mr. Madan has also sought direction to the government “to restrain any political party or person from giving any speech and organise any rally until the peace and situation within Delhi is under control and normal”.

The plea said the alleged hate speeches by the political figures were not only defamatory but also provocative in nature and led to the recent riots.

“Due to this Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), various Muslim groups were protesting against this Act at various places in Delhi. That since the very inception of passing of the amendment, leaders of various political parties started raised slogans against the amendment and gave hate speeches which have instigated the people, who started raising anti-CAA slogans,” it said.

The plea has sought booking of these leaders under the National Security Act for allegedly continuously posting hate speeches and disturbing the country’s integrity as their speeches led to destruction of properties in different areas of northeast Delhi.

The plea claimed that no action has been taken against the politicians who allegedly delivered hate speeches, even though “impact of these hate and provocative speeches have been seen in North East, East Delhi and Shahdara district of Delhi where instances of multiple riots and mob attacks has caused deaths, loss of properties and severe injuries in many cases“.

The petition went on to claim that the police, instead of taking steps to stop rioters, merely stood as spectators.

“Delhi Police did not exercise due diligence against the political persons when hate speeches were delivered by them on public platform. The State Police did not take action against the political persons on time so as to control them from making any further hate speeches and provoke the public which has lead to such a big massacre,” the petition alleged.