Hyderabad, Sept. 22 -- All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen president Asaduddin Owaisi on Tuesday, September 22, welcomed the Supreme Court's observation that individuals cannot face criminal prosecution simply for refusing to recite Vande Mataram if it violates their conscience.

In a post on X, the Hyderabad MP took a dig at Solicitor General Tushar Mehta and said, "The freedom to disagree is an essential part of the liberty of thought, speech and expression. And yet, the Solicitor General of India - the country's second-highest law officer - chose to call people 'Naxalites' for merely exercising their right to approach the courts and challenge the validity of a law."

Earlier on Tuesday, the Supreme Court told the Centre to keep in ...