The Allahabad High Court dismissed Neha Singh Rathore petition, the court said her posts mentioned the Prime Minister in a “disrespectful” way and accused the BJP of sacrificing soldiers’ lives for political gain, so she is directed to participate in the investigation.
•The Allahabad High Court dismissed Bhojpuri singer and activist Neha Singh Rathore's petition.
•The petition was about seeking cancellation of an FIR filed against her social media posts regarding PM Modi, BJP and Hindu-Muslim politics.
•The court said the investigation was necessary and directed her to cooperate with police and appear before the investigating officer on September 26 at 11 a.m.
On September 19, 2025, the Allahabad High Court announced the judgment of Neha Singh Rathore case. The Court has dismissed Bhojpuri singer and activist Neha Singh Rathore petition seeking cancellation of an FIR filed against her over social media posts allegedly targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and their politics around Hindu-Muslim issues.
A bench of Justice comprising Rajesh Singh Chauhan and Syed Qamar Hasan Rizvi gave the order on Friday. The court asked Rathore to fully cooperate with the police and directed her to appear before the investigating officer on September 26 at 11 a.m.
“The petitioner is directed to participate in the investigation, which is pending pursuant to the impugned FIR, and she shall appear before the Investigating Officer on 26.09.2025 at 11.00 a.m. sharp to cooperate in the investigation and shall further cooperate in the investigation till filing of police report," the court said.
The judges noted that the allegation showed a possible offence and therefore investigation was necessary. They also stressed at the timing of Rathore’s posts, as it was made soon after the Pahalgam terror attack, which made the matter more serious.
The FIR was registered by Hazratganj police in Lucknow in April. According to the FIR, Rathore wrote on X that the Prime Minister had come to Bihar to threaten Pakistan in order to win votes in the name of nationalism. In another post, she said instead of taking responsibility for terrorism and pursuing them, BJP is pushing the country towards war.
In her post, she also wrote “In the Bihar elections, they can either get votes in the name of Hindu-Muslim or India-Pakistan, there is no third option and these people will choose those two options,”.
While Rathore’s lawyer, Kamal Kishore Sharma, argued that her posts were an exercise of her fundamental right to free speech under Article 19(1)(a) of the Constitution. He contended that the FIR amounted to a violation of her rights.
The court, however, disagreed. The court said Rathore’s posts mentioned the Prime Minister in a “disrespectful” way and accused the BJP of sacrificing soldiers’ lives for political gain. The judges also observed that her remarks had both political and religious angles, especially during the Bihar elections.
With her petition dismissed, Rathore is now required to join the police probe and comply with the investigation process. The case will proceed further based on the investigating officer’s report.
However, this case once again sparked debate over the limits of free speech in India, especially when political and religious sensitivities are involved.
(Rh/SG/NS)
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