The Supreme Court of India.
Credit: PTI File Photo
New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed criminal proceedings against Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya in a case over his remarks about ‘Ramcharitmanas’, a sacred text in the Awadhi language based on the epic Ramayana.
A bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta remarked orally that it was "a line of thought," and if copies were burnt, Maurya could not be held responsible. This response came after the counsel for Uttar Pradesh cited an incident.
The bench questioned, "Why do you have to be so touchy? How is it an offence?" while addressing the counsel representing the Uttar Pradesh government.
The apex court also issued notice and sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government on Maurya’s plea challenging an order of the Allahabad High Court.
The High Court had dismissed his petition seeking quashing of the proceedings pending in a Pratapgarh court in the state.
Maurya, before the High Court, had challenged the charge sheet filed against him as well as the summoning order passed by a lower court directing him to appear before it in the case. In October last year, the High Court had dismissed his plea. He claimed case against him was politically motivated.
Maurya has claimed there was no evidence against him to corroborate the charge that he maligned the Hindu religious text.
A local resident, Santosh Kumar Mishra, filed an FIR in Pratapgarh district last year against Maurya and others.