Madhya Pradesh HC clears teacher facing criminal charges for merely sharing Urdu poetry
Bhopal: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has quashed a criminal case filed against a government school teacher for merely sharing a video of Urdu poetry on WhatsApp. Despite Urdu’s roots in the Indian subcontinent, Hindutva groups often portray it as foreign or exclusively linked to Muslims.
According to Kashmir Media Service, the court ruled that merely sharing a poem without any intent to provoke violence or communal hatred could not be treated as a criminal offense under India’s laws on public disorder and enmity between communities.
The case stemmed from a WhatsApp status uploaded by the teacher on July 22, 2025, featuring a recitation of the Urdu poem “Be-Haya,” written by poet Shoaib Kaini. While no unrest followed the post, police later summoned the teacher to a police station, seized his mobile phone, and registered a criminal case alleging the video was objectionable and inappropriate.
In its ruling, the bench led by Justice B.P. Sharma noted the prosecution had failed to provide any evidence that the poem promoted hostility between communities or posed a genuine threat to public peace. “Sharing a poem without any additional comment or intent to incite cannot be treated as promoting enmity or causing public disorder,” the court said.
The bench observed that the Urdu poem was already publicly available on a platform dedicated to Urdu literature and addressed human rights issues and violence against women.Tthe police complaint, the court noted, relied on vague allegations rather than concrete evidence showing criminal intent or incitement.
The teacher told the court that he faced threats and hostility after the criminal case was registered and later sought police protection, which was not initially provided. The High Court directed police to provide security to the teacher if required and ordered that his confiscated mobile phone be returned.
The ruling has reignited debate over freedom of expression, the policing of Urdu content, and the growing misuse of criminal law to target online speech, especially amid rising scrutiny of Urdu language and culture under India’s Hindu nationalist politics.
