New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday, August 10, directed clubbing and transfer of all first information reports (FIRs) lodged across the country against suspended Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokeswoman Nupur Sharma to Delhi Police in connection with her remark on the Prophet made during a TV debate show.A bench of Justices Surya Kant and J.B. Pardiwala also extended interim protection to Sharma till the probe is concluded by the Delhi police. On July 19, the apex court had said Sharma cannot be arrested in the nine cases against her over her comments on the Prophet. FIRs have been registered against her for controversial remarks in Delhi, Maharashtra, Telangana, West Bengal, Karnataka, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Assam.On Wednesday, the top court also allowed Sharma to move the Delhi high court for quashing of FIRs while saying all future FIRs would also be transferred to Delhi Police for investigation. The court departed from the principle of the “first FIR”. The first case against Sharma was registered in Maharashtra.According to Livelaw, the court also rejected the plea of the West Bengal government, filed through counsel Menaka Guruswamy, that the court set up a joint special investigation team, monitored by the court, to probe into the matter given that the cases were registered across the states.Instead, the court said the FIRs will be probed by the Intelligence Fusion and Strategic Operations (IFSO) of the Delhi Police, and said it will be at liberty to collect information from across the states.The court’s directions on Wednesday came in response to Sharma’s plea, filed on July 1, that all cases be transferred to Delhi Police stating that she and her family were receiving death threats and the situation would only worsen if she had to go to different states in connection with multiple FIRs.Guruswamy for the West Bengal government argued against her plea, questioning why such a transfer of cases to Delhi should be allowed. According to Guruswamy, the first FIR was filed in Maharashtra, and Delhi was not among the list of states where FIRs were filed. She argued that the “maximum impact” of Sharma’s controversial statements was felt in West Bengal, according to LiveLaw.“The accused cannot be allowed to pick any jurisdiction… Consider the nature of the issue which has caused an impact on our democracy and tainted the rule of law. And some states are supporting the petitioner,” Guruswamy said, according to the LiveLaw report.However, the court rejected such contentions and directed Delhi Police to probe the matter. The police in the national capital, a Union territory, comes under the Union home ministry headed by Amit Shah.Sharma’s remark on the Prophet during a TV debate had triggered protests across the country and drew sharp reactions from many Gulf countries. The BJP subsequently suspended her from the party.(With PTI inputs)