Varanasi, Sep 3 (PTI) An FIR has been registered against former Uttar Pradesh minister Swami Prasad Maurya in Varanasi over his alleged objectionable remarks on Ramcharitmanas, police said on Wednesday.
The FIR, lodged on Tuesday at the Cantonment police station, was filed on the directions of a local court.
Cantonment Station House Officer (SHO) Shivakant Mishra said that the case has been registered under erstwhile Indian Penal Code sections 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship with intent to insult religion), 298 (uttering words to wound religious feelings), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace), 505(2) (statements creating or promoting enmity between classes) and 153A (promoting enmity between different groups).
According to petitioner advocate Ashok Kumar, Maurya made the alleged remarks during a television interview on January 22, 2023, in which he described the Hindu scripture Ramcharitmanas and its author Goswami Tulsidas in disparaging terms, claiming, “Crores of people do not read this, it is all nonsense. Tulsidas wrote Ramcharitmanas for his own pleasure.” Kumar said Maurya had also demanded that the government either remove the “objectionable” portions of the text or ban the book entirely.
The advocate said his initial plea against Maurya was dismissed by the additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM). He then filed a revision petition, after which the MP-MLA court, presided over by ACJM Neeraj Kumar, directed on August 7 under Section 156(3) of the erstwhile Criminal Procedure Code that an FIR be lodged and appropriate legal action be taken. PTI COR KIS MNK MNK
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