India's Supreme Court delivered a sharp rebuke to Uttar Pradesh police on Tuesday, accusing investigators of "playing hide and seek" in a five-year-old hate crime case involving a Muslim cleric.
The case centers on Kazeem Ahmad Sherwani, a 62-year-old cleric who filed a complaint in 2021 after being assaulted on a bus in Noida. According to Sherwani's account, a group offered him a ride, then subjected him to religious abuse, pulled his beard, removed his skull cap, and forcibly ejected him from the vehicle.
A bench led by Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta questioned why investigating officers failed to add crucial legal provisions to the First Information Report despite clear judicial direction. The court specifically highlighted the absence of Section 153B of the Indian Penal Code, which penalizes statements harmful to national integration, and Section 295A, which addresses offenses against religious sentiments.
"Why is the investigating officer playing hide and seek with the Court?" the bench asked, according to Bar and Bench.
The state's legal counsel admitted that the provisions were indeed applicable but had not been included in the original complaint—a concession that underscores broader concerns about how religiously motivated crimes are investigated in India's most populous state.
In India, as across the subcontinent, scale and diversity make simple narratives impossible—and fascinating. Uttar Pradesh, governed by the Bharatiya Janata Party and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, has faced repeated scrutiny over its handling of communal incidents. The state's 240 million residents include approximately 20% Muslims, making it home to India's largest Muslim population in absolute numbers.
The Supreme Court's intervention reflects the judiciary's continuing role as a check on state governments in cases involving minority rights and communal violence. Legal experts note that the failure to invoke appropriate provisions in hate crime cases can significantly weaken prosecution efforts and send signals about official attitudes toward such incidents.
