India, Nov. 7 -- NEW DELHI

A Delhi court on Friday rejected a plea seeking registration of an FIR against chief minister Rekha Gupta over her alleged remarks referring to a Hindu deity's actions while reviewing Delhi government officials' discharge of duties, observing that the speech appeared to be directed at their performance and did not prima facie disclose a deliberate or malicious intention to insult religious beliefs.

Additional chief judicial magistrate Ashwani Panwar of Rouse Avenue Courts passed the order, while dismissing a plea moved by complainant Ram Niwas Sharma, seeking a police investigation against Gupta under Section 299 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which criminalises deliberate and malicious acts intended to...