Madras High Court Nullifies FIR Against Research Scholar Lois Sofia Over Anti-BJP Slogan On Flight
In a recent development, the Madras High Court has dismissed the First Information Report (FIR) lodged against Lois Sofia, a research scholar, who had been charged for raising slogans against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) while on a flight back in 2018. The ruling, handed down by Justice P Dhanapal of the Madurai bench, effectively puts an end to all legal proceedings against Sofia in connection with the incident from three years ago.
While the comprehensive verdict of the Court is yet to be publicly released, D Geetha, the legal representative for Lois Sofia, has revealed that the Court's decision is grounded in the principle that the act of raising slogans does not constitute a legally cognizable offense.
Sofia, a Canadian research scholar, had found herself in legal trouble in September 2018 after she vocally expressed her disapproval of the BJP government by shouting, "fascist BJP government down, down," during a flight to Thoothukudi. The incident occurred in the presence of Tamilisai Soundararajan, the former president of the Tamil Nadu BJP and the current Governor of Telangana.
The incident escalated further as Soundararajan engaged in a verbal altercation with Sofia at the airport, leading to a formal complaint being lodged against Sofia. She was subsequently charged under Sections 505 and 290 of the Indian Penal Code, pertaining to offenses related to creating public mischief and causing public nuisance. Following her arrest, Lois Sofia was released on bail by a Thoothukudi Court.
In response to the FIR against Sofia, her father took action by filing a complaint with the Pudukkottai police against Soundararajan and her associates. He alleged that they had subjected his daughter to verbal abuse, intimidation, and threats during the airport altercation. Additionally, he brought the matter before a local judicial magistrate after encountering difficulties in getting the police to register the complaint. The magistrate then issued a directive for the police to take action based on the filed complaint.
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