Court Orders FIR Over Death Threat to Akhilesh Yadav in Viral Video

A Gautam Buddh Nagar court has ordered the registration of an FIR over a viral social media video in which a man allegedly issued a death threat to Samajwadi Party (SP) national president and Kannauj MP Akhilesh Yadav.

The direction came after the Surajpur Kotwali police failed to act on a complaint filed by SP leader and advocate Ramsaran Nagar. The video, which went viral on April 12, 2025, shows a man openly threatening to shoot Yadav. Despite the seriousness of the threat, no case was lodged, prompting Nagar to move court.

Ramsaran Nagar, who serves as the National Secretary of the SP Advocates’ Wing and is a former president of the Bar Association, Gautam Buddh Nagar, filed an application under Section 173(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) on April 23. Acting on the petition, Second Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Ravi Kumar Sagar on May 13 directed the Surajpur police to register an FIR against Amrendra Pratap Singh and his associates.

Importantly, the court clarified that despite the accused being a resident of Lakhimpur district, the FIR could be registered anywhere in India by the aggrieved person, as the threat was made via social media—"a technical platform not limited by geography."

“The incident cannot be confined by territorial jurisdiction,” the court said, while adding that if the police later deem it necessary to transfer the case on jurisdictional grounds, the FIR may be treated as a Zero FIR and forwarded to the appropriate district as per rules.

In his plea, Nagar contended that the video had caused widespread outrage and hurt public sentiments. The statement made on Facebook, a public platform, is both socially and politically impactful and cannot be confined to a specific location, the petition stated.

The court’s order has now paved the way for formal investigation into the matter. The police will be required to file the FIR and initiate proceedings against the accused.