Rape FIR to be filed against BJP leader Shahnawaz Hussain, SC upholds High Court's decision

BJP leader and former Union Minister Syed Shahnawaz Hussain got a big blow from the Supreme Court today. The Supreme Court has dismissed Shahnawaz Hussain's plea seeking a direction to register a First Information Report (FIR) against him in a rape complaint. Delhi High Court had ordered the registration of an FIR against Shahnawaz Hussain with the charge of rape, after which Shahnawaz challenged this order through a petition. The apex court has upheld the decision of the High Court rejecting the petition of Shahnawaz Hussain, after which there will be an FIR against him in other sections including rape.
Earlier in August, the Supreme Court had stayed the Delhi High Court's order to register an FIR against Shahnawaz Hussain, but the bench hearing the matter today said that it has not found any reason to interfere.

Earlier, during the hearing in the top court, Shahnawaz Hussain's lawyer had argued that the woman's complaint was fake and malicious. A bench of Justices S Ravindra Bhat and Dipankar Datta told the counsel appearing for Shahnawaz Hussain that "there is a fair investigation and if he has done nothing, he will be acquitted".

In 2018, a Delhi woman approached a lower court seeking the registration of an FIR against Shahnawaz Hussain for alleged rape, a charge denied by Shahnawaz Hussain. Subsequently, on July 7, 2018, the magistrate's court ordered the registration of an FIR against him, saying that the complaint constituted a serious offence, after which Hussain challenged this decision in the High Court. Rejecting the petition challenging the verdict, the FIR was immediately ordered to be registered. Along with this, the High Court had questioned that "the statement of the victim has been recorded in the police report on four occasions, but there was no explanation as to why the FIR was not registered. In the present case, it appears that the police FIR She is completely hesitating even to register."