New Delhi: The Supreme Court Thursday stayed criminal proceedings against Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Swami Prasad Maurya in a case, regarding his remarks about 'Ramcharitmanas', a sacred text in the Awadhi language based on the epic Ramayana.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta orally observed that it is a line of thought and if copies were burnt, he cannot be held responsible, after the Uttar Pradesh counsel cited an incident. The bench asked counsel representing the Uttar Pradesh government, "Why you have to be so touchy?......How is it an offence?"
The top 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. Concluding the hearing in the matter, the bench said, "Notice… stay of proceedings….".
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. Maurya has claimed there was no evidence against him to corroborate the charge that he maligned the Hindu religious text.
On a complaint by a local resident Santosh Kumar Mishra, an FIR was lodged in Pratapgarh district last year against Maurya and others.
