On Wednesday, May 24, the Delhi High Court directed a man named Azmat Ali Khan, who is accused of forcibly converting a Sikh woman to Islam, to delete all his social media posts including images and comments related to the victim woman within 48 hours.
During a personal interaction with Justice Pratibha M. Singh, the victim said that the accused had her phone in his possession and has posted some of her videos on social media. Justice Singh opined that the complainant woman seemed traumatized. Following this, the court directed the accused Azmat Ali Khan’s counsel Rajiv Bajaj to take the court order seriously and delete the social media posts in question.
“She has made several accusations against your client. You must cooperate with the investigation. The issue is that your client appears to have posted videos on Instagram and she has photos proving that her phone is with your client…We have shielded you from the videos that have been posted against you. Twice over protection has to be given to the woman over any videos or posts that you have put up against her, not a single one should be there. You delete it within 48 hours. Tell your client to take it seriously. You cannot seek protection while failing to reciprocate to the woman,” Justice Singh stated.
Notably, the sister of the accused told the court that the complainant woman and her brother were in a relationship for a long time and that she threatened to accuse him of forced religious conversion only after he wanted to end their relationship. Following this, the court listed the matter for consideration on August 29.
The ruling was issued by Justice Prathiba M Singh during a hearing on a plea submitted by the accused, Azmat Ali Khan, to have videos and news reports against him removed from news outlets and media organizations.
Earlier this month, the court ordered Sudarshan News and social media platforms including YouTube, Google, and Twitter to delete/block links/remove news reports regarding Azmat Ali Khan forcibly converting a Sikh woman to Islam.
Sikh widow files an FIR against Azmat Ali Khan for forced conversion, threatening her of acid attack
The police registered a First Information Report (FIR) against Azmat Ali Khan, invoking multiple sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including rape after a Sikh woman accused him of rape, blackmailing, and forcing her to embrace Islam.
As per the First Information Report (FIR) obtained by IANS, the victim encountered Azmat Ali Khan, a resident of Laxmi Nagar, on Facebook in 2016, leading to the development of a friendship between them. She mentioned that Khan was a mutual acquaintance of her Kathak Dance instructor, which prompted her to accept his friend request on Facebook.
Subsequently, their friendship evolved into a deeper connection, and by 2017, they entered into a romantic relationship. The woman has made an accusation that Khan secretly recorded a video of her during an intimate moment.
