The Supreme Court declined to dismiss the hate speech case against Umar Ansari, related to the 2022 state assembly poll campaign. Umar Ansari, along with his MLA brother Abbas Ansari, is facing criminal prosecution for sharing a platform at a rally in Mau district, where his brother allegedly made threats to government officials. The bench, comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and Pankaj Mithal, stated that since the high court had rejected the plea for relief, the trial must proceed. Abbas Ansari, who won the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls as a candidate of the Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) alliance from Mau Sadar seat, is accused of making remarks at a public rally about not transferring state officials for the first six months after forming the government. Umar Ansari’s lawyer argued that he should not be held accountable for remarks made by others and that he is being unfairly implicated due to his family ties. The court refused to intervene but clarified that its decision does not preclude future review during the trial. Umar Ansari has filed an appeal against the ruling. In a separate case, the high court had also rejected Abbas Ansari’s plea to dismiss criminal proceedings against him. An FIR was lodged against the MLA, his brother Umar, and others under relevant sections of the IPC, leading to a chargesheet being filed after the investigation.