New Delhi, Mar 18 Civil rights group Association for Protection of Civil Rights approached the Delhi High Court on Wednesday to prevent "imminent communal violence" on Eid in Uttam Nagar, where a 26-year-old man was killed in a clash on Holi.
Senior advocate Nitya Ramkrishnan mentioned the plea for urgent listing on Wednesday itself before a bench of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and Justice Tejas Karia, saying there is fear of "serious violence" on Eid.
The request was allowed by the bench, but the petition did not get listed during the day.
The public interest litigation plea has said the death of the man, Tarun, on Holi has been communalised through "coordinated dissemination of inflammatory content, mobilisation of crowds and organisation of protests and public gatherings".
The plea has asserted that multiple rallies and assemblies organised across Delhi have openly incited violence against members of the Muslim community, specifically targeting the Eid festival, yet authorities have failed to take action.
"Slogans advocating extrajudicial killings, economic boycott and social exclusion have been raised, creating an atmosphere of fear, hostility and imminent threat to life and property. Many of these hate speeches are specifically targeting the festival of Eid, which is to be celebrated on March 20 or 21, 2026, and explicitly advocating that Muslims in Uttam Nagar will be prevented from celebrating the Eid festival," the plea has said.
"The continuing inaction of the respondents has resulted in a breakdown of the rule of law and caused 'constitutional harm' by violating the fundamental rights of the affected community under Articles 14, 19 and 21 of the Constitution of India, including the right to equality, freedom, dignity and life.
"The situation is further aggravated by the fear that there will be disruptions to the peaceful observance of Eid, both by vigilante groups and also by the police. There are credible apprehensions of further escalation of communal tensions and targeted violence, in light of ongoing calls for disruption and retaliation," the petition has said.
The petitioner has prayed for directions to authorities to prevent, control and mitigate the potential outbreak of large-scale communal violence and cognate crimes in Uttam Nagar and protect the life, liberty and property of all citizens.
The respondents in the PIL include the Delhi Police, the city government and the Centre.
The plea has urged the court for an order "directing the respondents to enhance security arrangements, including deployment of adequate police personnel, deployment of CCTVs and intelligence gathering, in sensitive areas to deter any planned communal violence and provide a sense of safety and security to the affected groups, localities and persons and ensure peaceful observance of the festival of Eid".
It has also prayed for the registration of FIRs over the "hundreds of hate-speech videos" related to the Uttam Nagar incident that are widely under circulation on social media.
Several people, including a minor, have been apprehended in connection with the death of the 26-year-old man in a clash between two neighbouring families with long-standing disputes during Holi celebrations in southwest Delhi's Uttam Nagar.
