The Uttar Pradesh government on Monday informed the Supreme Court of India that it will invoke hate crime provisions in the 2021 assault case of Kazeem Ahmad Sherwani, nearly five years after he alleged that he was abused and humiliated over his Muslim identity in Noida.
Appearing for the state, Additional Solicitor General K.M. Nataraj told a bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta that, upon review, Sections 153B (imputations prejudicial to national integration) and 295A (deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code would apply.
He said the state would move the trial court within a week to add the provisions.
The submission came two weeks after the court asked the state to clarify whether hate crime sections would be invoked in the July 4, 2021, incident.
Sherwani, a Delhi resident travelling to Aligarh, alleged that a group of men offered him a lift in Noida, then abused him and pulled his beard.
Senior advocate Huzefa Ahmadi, appearing for the petitioner along with advocate Shahrukh Alam, told the court that the issue of compensation for Sherwani remained unresolved.
The bench observed that while the state had now agreed on the applicable provisions, the petitioner could pursue compensation before the appropriate forum.
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