Shillong, April 23: The High Court of Meghalaya has directed authorities to club multiple FIRs registered against a petitioner across different districts, observing that all cases stem from the same social media post and cannot be treated as separate proceedings.
The order was passed by Chief Justice Revati Mohite Dere while hearing a criminal petition filed by Sofior Rahman, who sought disclosure of all cases against him and a direction to consolidate them.
According to the case details, at least three FIRs were registered at different police stations, including Araimile, Songsak, and Tura, based on a Facebook post allegedly circulated by the petitioner. The post was described in complaints as provocative and capable of disturbing public peace and communal harmony.
During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel argued that multiple FIRs based on the same incident violate established legal principles, citing Supreme Court rulings which state that there cannot be more than one FIR for the same offence or occurrence.
The High Court referred to landmark judgments, including T.T. Antony vs State of Kerala and Arnab Ranjan Goswami vs Union of India, which clearly hold that subsequent FIRs on the same cause of action are not permissible and should instead be treated as statements during the investigation.
The state prosecutor acknowledged that all three cases were based on the same Facebook post and agreed to club them. The court accepted the submission and directed that the cases registered in Tura and Songsak be transferred to Araimile Police Station, where the first FIR was lodged.
With this direction, the court disposed of the petition, making the rule absolute. The ruling reinforces the legal position that multiple FIRs for the same incident amount to an abuse of process and ensures a unified investigation in such cases.
