Supreme Court quashes Gujarat FIR over MP's poem video posted in Jamnagar
Police in Jamnagar registered an FIR against a Rajya Sabha member over a video with a poem posted on X. The Gujarat High Court refused to quash it in January 2025. The Supreme Court allowed the appeal on 28 March 2025 and quashed the FIR and all further proceedings.
This page records what the cited court records and reports say happened. Findings belong to the court or authority that made them; this register adds none of its own. Names of private individuals are withheld unless a naming gate clears them.
How we verify →The FIR and all further proceedings stand quashed by the Supreme Court on 28 March 2025.
What happened
The Supreme Court recorded that FIR No. 11202008250014 of 2025 was registered with City A-Division Police Station, Jamnagar for offences punishable under Sections 196, 197(1), 302, 299, 57 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023.
The Supreme Court recorded that the appellant had posted a 46-second video of a mass marriage gathering in Jamnagar on social media platform X from a verified account, with Urdu verses as background audio, and that the complainant claimed the clip stirred inter-group hostility.
Verdictum reported that the Gujarat High Court declined to quash the case on 17 January 2025 on the ground that investigation was at a nascent stage, that the Supreme Court stayed further steps on 21 January 2025, reserved verdict on 3 March 2025, and quashed the case on 28 March 2025.
Verdictum reported that the Supreme Court held no offence was attracted, that police must read the actual words when speech is involved, and that in a healthy democracy views must be countered with other views.
What the record says
“This poem has nothing to do with any religion, community, region or race”
Criminal Appeal No. 1545 of 2025, para 10 — read the full text
Punished for a freedom
The state prosecuted a person for posting a poem video online with no allegation of violence, threats, doxxing, fraud or any complaining victim of harm, a pure exercise of speech.
What we could not confirm
Exact date the video was posted was not stated in the excerpts opened; other Indian Kanoon hits for Gujarat speech were non-Gujarat forums and were not pursued.