The Supreme Court on Wednesday granted interim protection from arrest to folk singer Neha Singh Rathore in a case over her social media post on the Pahalgam terror attack.
The said comments allegedly targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Amit Shah and the BJP in connection with the killing of 26 tourists in Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir on April 22, 2025.
A Bench led by Justice JK Maheshwari asked the Uttar Pradesh Government and the complainant in the case to respond to Rathore’s petition.
However, it directed Rathore to appear before the Investigating Officer and cooperate in the probe.
The Lucknow Bench of the Allahabad High Court on December 5 last year had rejected her anticipatory bail plea, noting that she did not cooperate with the investigation despite directions issued by an earlier Bench that had refused to quash the FIR against her.
The FIR against the folk singer was registered at Hazratganj police station in Lucknow on April 27, and the investigation was underway. The FIR alleged that Rathore targeted a particular religious community and threatened the unity of the country.
She challenged the FIR filed against her by one Abhay Pratap Singh at the Hazratganj Police Station in the last week of April. Singh accused Rathore of having “repeatedly attempted to incite one community against another on religious grounds”.
She contended that she had been wrongfully implicated under several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including promoting communal hatred, disturbing public peace, and endangering the sovereignty, unity, and integrity of India. She has also been booked under certain provisions of the Information Technology Act.
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