The Supreme Court of India has announced that it will hear a case that seeks to punish Hindu religious leaders for anti-Muslim statements they made during a closed-door meeting in December.
During the meeting, which was held in the city of Haridwar in the state of Uttarakhand, the Hindu leaders called for “a genocide” against Muslims and advised Hindus to take up arms.
A police complaint was lodged, but no one has been arrested, reported Religion News Service.
India is overwhelmingly Hindu, but Muslims make up about 14% of the population.
The country is currently ruled by the Bharatiya Janata Party, which has a Hindu nationalist outlook. The party has been in power since 2014, and during that time, tensions between Hindus and Muslims have escalated.
Three Supreme Court justices said they intend to investigate the matter because the anti-Muslim remarks “pose a grave threat not just to the unity and integrity of our country but also endanger the lives of millions of Muslim citizens.”
