Akbaruddin Owaisi Acquitted In Hate Speech Cases

The special sessions court for the trial of MPs/MLAs on Wednesday acquitted AIMIM MLA Akbaruddin Owaisi of all charges against him in connection with the two hate speeches he had made in December 2012. According to the case details, the court found the evidence provided by the prosecution insufficient and gave Owaisi the benefit of the doubt.

Akbaruddin Owaisi was first arrested in January 2013 for the alleged hate speech in the Nirmal district. However, later he was shown as arrested for the second alleged hate speech case, too. Owaisi spent a month in prison before getting bail.

The Chandrayangutta MLA, during the hearing in the special court, denied all the allegations against him in cases registered at Nirmal town and Nizamabad district in 2013.

“Owaisi was charged under sections 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of IPC”.

In a charge sheet filed in the two hate speech cases in 2016 by the Nirmal town police and Crime Investigation Department (CID), the police examined  41 witnesses in the Nizamabad case, while 33 people were discussed in the Nirmal case.

“In the second case, in 2013, Akbaruddin Owaisi had allegedly delivered a hate speech in Nizamabad upon which a case in Cr.No. 01/2013 under IPC sections 153(A), 295(A), and similar sections were registered by Nizamabad-II Town police. On February 5, 2013, the II Additional Judicial Magistrate in Nizamabad district granted conditional bail to the accused legislator after 40 days of the incarceration”.

There was no ample evidence available with the prosecution to prove the charges against the legislator, hence resulting in the acquittal,” said MA Azeem, counsel for Akbaruddin Owaisi.

Meanwhile, the AIMIM party president Asasudin Owaisi in a tweet thanked the lawyers who assisted in the case.

Alhamdulilah Akbaruddin Owaisi has been acquitted by MP/MLA Special Court in two criminal cases against him for alleged hate speeches. Grateful to all for their prayers & support. Special thanks to Advocate Abdul Azeem sb & senior lawyers who provided their valuable assistance, he tweeted.