Samajwadi Party Leader Gets Relief From Supreme Court Over Ramcharitmanas Remark
NDTV
The Supreme Court's direction came days after the consecration of the idol of 'Ram Lalla', the infant Lord Ram, the presiding deity of the newly-built Ram temple in Ayodhya.
The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed criminal proceedings against Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Swami Prasad Maurya in the case where he has been accused of having made "objectionable" remarks about 'Ramcharit Manas', a sacred text in the Awadhi language based on the epic Ramayana.
The Supreme Court also issued notice and sought a response from the Uttar Pradesh government on Mr Maurya's plea challenging an order of the Allahabad High Court, which had dismissed his petition seeking quashing of the proceedings pending in a Pratapgarh court in the state.
"Why do you have to be so touchy? It is a matter of interpretation. How is it an offence?" a bench of Justices B R Gavai and Sandeep Mehta asked the counsel appearing for Uttar Pradesh.
