Court postpones adopting out-of-court settlement in MP Salasya's hate speech case

The court was informed that the prosecution had received an agreement between MP Salasya and the NCIC, outlining several undertakings by the legislator aimed at promoting national cohesion and peaceful coexistence.

The court heard that, following the agreement, they intended to make an application to withdraw the case under Section 78A of the Criminal Procedure Code.

However, the magistrate observed that the agreement contained specific obligations that the MP had not yet fulfilled.

“These are events you agreed to undertake,” the magistrate noted, pointing out that the agreement requires MP Salasya to hold a press conference to publicly communicate an apology and to undertake a social media campaign advocating for peace and unity.

The court declined to immediately adopt the agreement, granting Salasya time to comply with the outlined conditions.

“I will not adopt this agreement immediately. I will give you the chance to implement the agreed terms, after which the court will adopt the agreement,” the magistrate ruled.

The matter will be mentioned on a later date to confirm compliance and consider the withdrawal application.

Salasya, through his lawyer, also thanked the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) and the NCIC for agreeing to an out-of-court settlement, noting that the move would save judicial time.

The case against MP Salasya arises from remarks he allegedly made during a public event earlier last year—comments that the DPP described as inflammatory and capable of inciting ethnic tension.