The bench, meanwhile, told Nataraj, “Please advise your officers, otherwise they will be in trouble. We have no fun in calling them and giving them a dressing down.”The Supreme Court on Tuesday pulled up the Uttar Pradesh Police for not adding provisions under Section 153B of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), related to hate crime, in the FIR registered in connection to the alleged assault on Muslim cleric Kazeem Ahmad Sherwani in Noida in July 2021 despite its directions.“They were clear observations… Why is your IO (investigating officer) playing hide and seek with the court,” a bench of Justice Vikram Nath and Justice Sandeep Mehta asked Additional Solicitor General (ASG) K M Nataraj, who appeared for the state.Section 153B of the erstwhile IPC deals with the offence of imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration.The SC was hearing a plea filed by Sherwani, seeking a fair investigation and trial.The court said that the ASG, on February 16, had informed it that from the allegations as set out in the complaint, necessary ingredients of offences punishable under sections 153 B and 295 A of the IPC were made out and the FIR ought to have been registered for the said offences.Section 295 A pertains to deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs.During the hearing on Tuesday, Nataraj informed the bench that the police would add the necessary provisions. Sherwani’s counsel, however, said that Section 153 B was yet to be added to the FIR.Story continues below this adMaintaining that it will summon the IO, the bench said, “Let him come and explain why he is doing all this… We are not satisfied with the compliance affidavit filed by the respondent.”However, as Nataraj assured the court that the state will comply with the directions by the next date of hearing, the bench allowed it. It will now hear the matter next on May 19.The bench, meanwhile, told Nataraj, “Please advise your officers, otherwise they will be in trouble. We have no fun in calling them and giving them a dressing down.”Sherwani had alleged that on July 4, 2021, he was assaulted and abused in the name of his religion by a “screwdriver gang” of criminals, as he had boarded a car to go to Aligarh from Noida. His counsel had alleged that when the FIR was lodged, police had refused to invoke hate crime provisions.Story continues below this adIn the February 16 order, the SC had also said that the IO “committed grave error in not applying the appropriate offences…” It had added the probe agency now proposes to “rectify the error by moving an appropriate application to the trial court for return of the original record so that further investigation can be conducted with addition of the applicable offences…”