A Delhi court has ordered the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against propagandist Rana Ayyub, accusing her of insulting Hindu deities and spreading anti-India sentiments through her social media posts. The order was issued by Chief Judicial Magistrate Himanshu Raman Singh of the Saket Court on January 25, 2025. The FIR was filed under sections 153A, 295A, and 505 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which deal with promoting enmity, outraging religious feelings, and making statements causing public mischief.
The complaint against Ayyub was filed by advocate Amita Sachdeva, who alleged that Ayyub’s posts on the social media platform X (formerly Twitter) were inflammatory and offensive. Sachdeva’s complaint included examples of Ayyub’s posts from 2013 to 2022, accusing her of insulting Hindu gods, maligning India’s unity, and making disparaging remarks about the Indian Army. The court noted that these allegations constituted serious cognizable offences, warranting police investigation.
Details of the Complaint against Ayyub
Advocate Sachdeva filed her initial complaint on November 11, 2024, through the National Cyber Crime Reporting Portal. However, she claimed no action was taken despite repeated follow-ups with the Cyber Police Station in South Delhi. This prompted her to approach the court under Section 156(3) of the Criminal Procedure Code, which allows magistrates to direct police investigations.
She particularly mentions instances in her complaint to illustrate posts from Ayyub, which offended her:
– In 2013, a post deriding Lord Ram, Ayyub said, “Ravana didn’t touch Sita even though he could. Ram didn’t stand for Sita even though he should have. Ravana 1 Ram 0.” Sachdeva stressed that Ayyub’s contentious post glorified Ravana while demeaning Lord Ram.
Ahem”@SitaOrMargarita: Ravana didn’t touch Sita even though he could. Ram didn’t stand for Sita even though he should have. Ravana 1 Ram 0.”
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) March 13, 2013
– Another post of Ayyub from 2014 trivialized Maa Sita and Draupadi, saying, “Gareeb Sita ke ghar pe kab tak rahegi Ravan ki hukmrani, Draupadi ka libas uske badan se kab tak chhina karega.”
Gareeb Sita ke ghar pe kab tak rahegi Ravan ki hukmrani ,
Draupadi ka libas uske badan se kab tak chhina karega
– Ali Sardar Jafri— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) October 21, 2014
– In 2016, Ayyub made a contentious post against the Indian Army that said, “Dear Indian Army, am guessing this young kid was quite a threat to the sovereignty of India to be blinded for life.”
Dear Indian army, am guessing this young kid was quite a threat to the sovereignty of India to be blinded for life pic.twitter.com/jLkDXgCPmE
— Rana Ayyub (@RanaAyyub) July 17, 2016
– Another post described Hindutva ideologue Veer Savarkar as a “terrorist sympathizer” and accused him of endorsing rape as a component of nationalism.
She has been insulting Hindus, Hindu deities, Hindu leaders and the Indian Army through her propagandist approach time and again. Ayyub is a serious offender and she should be taught a lesson.
Court’s Observations
The court stated that the allegations in the complaint revealed prima facie evidence of cognizable offences. It emphasised that police intervention was necessary as the complainant could not independently gather evidence. “The facts pleaded by the complainant are such which necessitate intervention of the state machinery,” the court noted. The court directed the Station House Officer (SHO) of the Cyber Police Station, South District, to register an FIR and conduct a fair investigation.
FIR Filed and Investigation Initiated
Following the court’s order, the Cyber Police Station in South Delhi registered the FIR on January 27, 2025. The police will now investigate the allegations, including reviewing Ayyub’s social media posts and other evidence. The case is scheduled for a hearing on January 28, 2025.
Controversial background of Rana Ayyub
Apart from her contentious anti-Hindu posts, Rana Ayyub is also notorious for peddling Islamo-leftist propaganda and carrying out smear campaigns against India on foreign lands.
Time and again, social media platform X is flooded with the tweets of Rana Ayyub where she could be seen insulting and throwing vile remarks against Hindu deities, Maa Sita and Bhagwan Ram. Not only this but she is also notorious for backing, parroting, and supporting the line of India’s enemy state, Pakistan, and whitewashing the crimes of hardcore Islamists and terrorists like Afzal Guru as well as sympathizing with the Pakistan Army.
Over the years, Rana Ayyub has been involved in numerous controversies with significant developments putting her so-called credibility as a journalist in the dock. One of her most notorious controversies stemmed from her book “Gujarat Files – Anatomy of a Coverup” in which she claimed a big expose regarding the 2002 Gujarat riots. However, the Supreme Court criticized the book, dismissing it as filled with conjectures, supposition, and lacking evidentiary value. The court’s scathing remarks exposed her propaganda in the garb of ‘journalism’ and busted the falsehoods that the Islamo-leftist ecosystem had been pushing through using her book on Gujarat riots.
Earlier in her career, Ayyub was associated with the controversial media outlet “Tehelka”, founded by Tarun Tejpal, who faced serious charges of sexual assault. Notorious for peddling Hinduphobic content, she has also frequently made provocative comments, particularly targeting Hindu customs and festivals. In foreign media outlets such as The Washington Post, Al Jazeera, and The New York Times, Ayyub could be seen spreading canard to paint the Modi government in a bad light, which ends up serving an anti-India narrative on international platforms.
Additionally, Ayyub is accused of receiving unauthorized foreign funds without government clearance, violating the Foreign Contribution Regulation Act (FCRA). This controversy further intensified after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) linked her to a money laundering case, stating that she had misappropriated public donations, using them for personal expenses and foreign trips instead of the intended charity work.
