FB page admin attributes false remarks to ex-CJI; case filed

Hyderabad: A criminal case has been registered against the administrator of a Facebook page for falsely attributing inflammatory communal remarks to former Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana . In his complaint, former CJI Ramana's personal secretary G Sudhakara Rao stated that he came across the offending post while looking at Facebook posts on Sept 30.

The post, shared from an account named ‘Mana Janam', was written in Telugu and allegedly contained "highly objectionable, defamatory and provocative content" that could disturb public peace. Rao said the post misquoted Justice Ramana, who served as CJI for 16 months between April, 2021 and Aug 2022, with apparent intention of sparking hostility between communities.

Terming the post "deliberately designed to spread enmity and incite violence", Rao requested police to register a first information report, trace the originator, have the content taken down and prevent its further circulation.

He also sought action under multiple provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) as well as the IT Act. However, the post was not taken down till Saturday.

In the post it was mentioned that the religious structures of certain communities built on the roads causing inconvenience to commuters should be voluntarily demolished. The controversial post was put up on Sept 30 morning and it has received 166 comments and it was shared 2,500 times.

Acting on the complaint, the Hyderabad Cyber Crimes police registered a case under Sections 196 (Promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc, and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony), 336(4) (Forgery for purpose of harming reputation) and 353(2) (Statements conducing to public mischief) of the BNS, and took up investigation. "We have begun technical enquiries to identify the administrator of the ‘Mana Janam' page and secure digital evidence," a Cyber Crime investigator said.