Supreme Court Stays Arrest of Wajahat Khan in FIRs Across Multiple States, Warns Against Hate Speech

A bench of Justices K.V. Viswanathan and N. Kotiswar Singh has stayed the arrest of Wajahat Khan in all FIRs registered outside West Bengal—namely in Assam, Maharashtra, Delhi, and Haryana—over alleged offensive social media posts. Notice has been issued to the Union and respective state governments, returnable on July 14, 2025.

Khan, the complainant in the case against influencer Sharmistha Panoli, is already in custody under two FIRs in West Bengal. He had sought consolidation of all related cases, arguing they are retaliatory and burdensome. His lawyer acknowledged that “he is perhaps reaping what he has sown,” noting Khan deleted the posts and issued a public apology before any FIRs were filed.

Justice Viswanathan cautioned that “hate speeches get us nowhere” and quoted: “Wounds inflicted by fire may heal, but not those caused by words,”
emphasizing that verbal incitement can be as damaging as physical violence. The Court made clear that such hate-mongering is not protected under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution.

Next Hearing: July 14, 2025
Status: No coercive action outside Bengal until further orders; future FIRs on same allegations also stayed