Prophet remarks row: SC transfers FIRs against Navika Kumar to Delhi police

The Supreme Court today clubbed all the FIRs registered against journalist Navika Kumar and transferred them to the Delhi police. The FIRs were specifically transferred to the police’s Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations unit.

No subsequent FIRs can be filed or coercive action taken against Kumar for the next eight weeks, the apex court added, and she is “at liberty to move the high court for quashing” the lead FIR.

Kumar, a news anchor on Times Now, had moved the Supreme Court in August to quash criminal proceedings against her in the Nupur Sharma case. Sharma, a former BJP spokesperson, had made comments against Prophet Muhammed during a Times Now debate moderated by Kumar on May 26. Her remarks sparked a diplomatic row, violence in parts of the country, and Sharma was suspended by her party, with multiple FIRs filed against her.

Kumar was widely criticised for not intervening during the debate. She has FIRs filed against her in multiple states, including Maharashtra, West Bengal and Delhi, for outraging religious feelings.

But it should be remembered that it’s par for the course for Kumar to host debates, and make comments herself, that are deeply polarising. Between January and June this year, she conducted 123 debates of which 36 percent had a communal angle.

Read our in-depth profile of Navika Kumar for more.