After its initial refusal in July, the Supreme Court clubbed and transferred FIRs lodged against former BJP spokesperson Nupur Sharma to the IFSO unit of Delhi Police special cell on Wednesday, August 10. Sharma is facing several FIRs in different states all around the country following her derogatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad on live television.

A special bench at the Supreme Court, headed by Justice Surya Kant and Justice JB Pardiwala heard Sharma’s plea to clubbing and transferring all FIRs on Wednesday and ordered its execution. The FIRs will now be handled by The Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) unit of the Delhi Police, who are a team of specialists in the Special Cell. Let’s find out what the apex court said and what does its order mean for Nupur Sharma.

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Supreme Court’s order:

After hearing the arguments of Nupur Sharma’s lawyer Maninder Singh, the apex court ordered the clubbing and transferring all FIRs against Sharma to Delhi Police’s IFSO unit. It also observed that the order will also send any new FIR lodged against her to the special cell unit.

“The orders issued today shall also be extended to any new FIRs registered against the petitioner with regards to this particular incident and the same shall stands transferred to IFSO unit of the Delhi Police’s Special Cell,” the Supreme Court special bench said. 

“We have gone through the contents of the application and additional affidavit with the help of these counsels. With regards to quashing of the cases registered against her, we are of the view that their counsels can approach the Delhi High Court seeking quashing of these FIRs,” it added.

The Supreme Court also continued the interim order of protection of arrest for Nupur Sharma.

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What does it mean?

Hundreds of cases, if not more, were lodged against Nupur Sharma all over the country in July following her derogatory remarks on Prophet Muhammad on live television. Concerning authorities in those states, had summoned Sharma to the respective states, however, she did not present herself, which resulted in issuing look-out notices in several states.

As for the former BJP spokesperson, Sharma sought the clubbing and transferring all FIRs to Delhi citing threats on her life and the improbable nature of responding to summons from the police all over India in a short period of time.

The Supreme Court’s order now brings all FIRs against her from the country in Delhi, where it will be investigated by the Special Cell IFSO unit, instead of the city/state police in the origin of a respective FIR. 

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The apex court special bench has also granted the liberty to Sharma to seek quashing of all FIRs filed against her at the Delhi High Court. This means that the Delhi High Court holds the power to declare all FIRs against Sharma null and void, however, it is unlikely.

The IFSO unit will now investigate Nupur Sharma according to the complaints in connection to her remarks on Prophet Muhammad on live television from Delhi. However, it is currently unable to arrest Nupur Sharma, whose interim order of protection of arrest by the Supreme Court was continued on August 10.