Jamnagar: The Gujarat High Court on Friday declined to quash the FIR filed against Congress Rajya Sabha MP Imran Pratapgarhi, who has been booked for promoting communal disharmony through a social media post featuring a video clip with the poem “Ae khoon ke pyase baat suno…” in the background.

Justice Sandeep N Bhatt observed in the order that the poem’s tone “certainly indicates something about the throne,” and the reactions to the post suggest it could disturb social harmony. The court emphasized that citizens, particularly Members of Parliament, must act responsibly to maintain communal and social harmony.

The FIR, registered by Jamnagar police on January 3, accuses Pratapgarhi of promoting enmity between groups on religious grounds and other related charges. The complaint was lodged after he posted a 46-second clip of a mass marriage event he attended on December 29.

Pratapgarhi sought to quash the FIR, arguing that the poem promoted a message of love. In response, the court directed him to disclose whether he wrote the poem. Pratapgarhi stated in an affidavit that he was not the author and attributed the poem to poets Faiz Ahmed Faiz or Habib Jalib based on publicly available information.

Despite his claims, the public prosecutor argued that the poem’s words incited rebellion against the state and justified the FIR. The government also noted that Pratapgarhi had not cooperated with the investigation despite receiving three notices. DeshGujarat