Cases against Jitendra Awhad over remarks on Lord Ram transferred to Shirdi, Bombay High Court told

Mumbai: The Maharashtra police on Thursday informed the Bombay High Court that all the seven cases lodged against NCP (Sharadchandra Pawar) MLA Jitendra Awhad for his alleged offensive remarks against Lord Ram have been clubbed and transferred to the police station in Shirdi, where the comments were made in January this year.

Awhad, a former state minister, had filed a petition in the HC seeking for all the FIRs (first information reports) registered against him to be clubbed and probed by one police station, preferably in Mumbai.

Additional public prosecutor K V Saste informed a division bench headed by Justice Revati Mohite-Dere that all the cases would now be probed by the Shirdi police as the alleged incident had taken place in the temple town in Ahmednagar district.

The court accepted the statement and disposed of the petition.

Seven FIRs were lodged against the opposition MLA from Mumbra-Kalwa in Thane district for his alleged remarks that Lord Ram was a "non-vegetarian". He made the comments while speaking at a party meeting in Shirdi, around 240km from Mumbai.

While two FIRs are registered at Mumbai, one each was lodged at Shirdi, Pune, Thane city, Thane rural, and Yavatmal.

The FIRs were registered under section 295A of the IPC (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs).

After criticism, Awhad expressed regret over his controversial remarks, but did not retract them.