India News | 'Controversial' Book in Library: MP HC Grants Anticipatory Bail to Law College Principal
Get latest articles and stories on India at LatestLY. After a recent Supreme Court order, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted anticipatory bail to the principal of Government Navin Law College in Indore in connection with keeping an allegedly controversial book in the institute's library.
Indore, Dec 22 (PTI) After a recent Supreme Court order, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted anticipatory bail to the principal of Government Navin Law College in Indore in connection with keeping an allegedly controversial book in the institute's library.
However, the HC, in its order on Wednesday, refused to give anticipatory bail to a co-accused professor saying his alleged role was different from that of the principal and the apex court had not given the former protection in the case.
Police had filed an FIR on December 3 against Government Navin Law College principal Dr Inamur Rahman and Professor Mirza Mojij Baig as well as the publisher and author of the book 'Collective Violence and Criminal Justice System' on a complaint by Lucky Adiwal, a Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) functionary and LLM student of the college.
Adiwal had claimed the book contained objectionable comments against Hindus, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and promotes religious hatred.
The SC had, on December 16, granted interim stay on Rahman's arrest and had also issued notices to the MP government and others on the issue.
Justice Anil Varma of MP HC's Indore bench on Wednesday granted anticipatory bail on a bond of Rs one lakh to Rahman.
It refused to give anticipatory bail to Baig (41), who reportedly teaches Constitution in the college.
"Although co-accused Inamur Rahman has been enlarged on anticipatory bail in the instant case but case of the present applicant is different from the case of Inamur Rahman; co-accused Inamur Rahman is holding administrative post of principal in the aforesaid Law College but present applicant is the professor, who regularly teaches and delivers lectures to the students of the aforesaid law college," the HC said.
"And being professor he (Baig) is in a position to incite the mind of the students and most of the important difference is that Hon'ble Supreme Court granted stay on the arrest of the co-accused Inamur Rahman in connection of the instant offence but no such protection has been provided to the present applicant," the HC said.
In view of the material evidence available on record against the applicant (Baig), this court is not inclined to grant anticipatory bail at this stage, the HC said.
State government counsel Kamal Kumar Tiwari had told court the professor had incited students to read the controversial book available in the library with the intention of spreading hatred against the Hindu religion.
Tiwari also told court the professor may abscond if he is given bail.
However, Baig's lawyer Abhinav Dhanodkar dismissed the state government counsel's contention that his client was teaching the Constitution in the law college.
Baig has nothing to do with this controversial book, Dhanodkar told court.
(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)