Court adjourns hearing after police fail to present chargesheet against comedian Munawar Faruqui
Indore(PTI): A local court on Friday adjourned the hearing in the case of stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui, who was accused of passing indecent remarks against Hindu deities during a stand-up act, citing that the police had failed to present a chargesheet against him even after more than a year.
The Tukogang police station has registered a case against Faruqui under section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and other provisions of IPC in January last year.
The police were supposed to present the chargesheet on Friday, but they couldn't do so, as the state government's nod was awaited, an official said.
The state government is yet to give its approval on the chargesheet, inspector Kamlesh Sharma of Tukogang police station said.
The court has now posted the hearing for March 10, it was stated.
The Indore police had on January 29, 2021 written to the state government seeking its permission to file a chargesheet in the matter, the official said.
The state government's nod was mandatory to put up a challan under section 295 (a) citing the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
The comedian and four others were booked based on a complaint lodged by Eklavya Singh Gaur (36), son of local BJP legislator Malini Laxman Singh Gaur.
Faruqui, a resident of Gujarat, was arrested along with four others for allegedly making indecent remarks against Hindu deities and Union home minister Amit Shah during a show at a cafe in 56 Dukan area of Indore on January 1.
The comedian, who was in custody for 35 days, walked out of the Indore Jail on late February 6 night last year after the Supreme Court granted him bail.
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Congress using hijab issue to pacify minority anger, alleges Karnataka LoP R Ashoka
Bengaluru: Leader of Opposition in the Assembly R. Ashoka has accused the Congress government of using the hijab issue to placate what he described as discontent among minority voters after the Davanagere by-election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Ashoka alleged that the state government, instead of addressing issues such as price rise, corruption, farmers’ distress and law and order, was attempting to retain its minority vote base by reviving the hijab issue.
Referring to the 2022 dress code introduced by the BJP government, which prohibited hijab in schools and colleges, Ashoka said the Karnataka High Court had upheld the policy and emphasised the importance of discipline in educational institutions.
He questioned the Congress government’s move to revisit the issue and asked whether setting aside the court-backed policy to benefit one community could be described as secularism.
Ashoka further alleged that while the government was willing to permit hijab, it continued to prohibit saffron shawls.
He accused the government of dividing students on religious lines rather than treating schools and colleges as spaces of equality.
Drawing a comparison with Mamata Banerjee’s government in West Bengal, Ashoka claimed that excessive appeasement politics had harmed the state and warned that the Congress in Karnataka could face a similar political response.
He said voters in Karnataka would teach the Congress a lesson for what he termed “vote-bank politics” and for compromising constitutional and judicial principles.
