In jail for over 2 months for 'anti-Modi' remarks, MP Cong leader Pateria gets bail from HC
Jabalpur, Feb 27: The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Monday granted bail to jailed Congress leader and former state minister Raja Pateria, who was arrested in December for his alleged objectional remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
A single bench of Justice Sanjay Dwivedi ordered the release of Pateria on a bail bond of Rs 1 lakh, his senior counsel and former MP advocate general Shashank Shekhar told PTI.
"I told the court Pateria has been in judicial custody for almost 75 days. Investigations against him had been completed and a charghesheet filed," Shekhar said.
"While seeking bail I submitted before the HC that my client through his statements did not mean to kill anybody (physically). What he meant was to defeat (PM Modi) politically," maintained the senior counsel.
Shekhar said the government advocate opposed the bail plea of his client.
However, after hearing arguments, the HC granted bail to the Congress leader, he said.
Pateria was arrested on December 13 from his residence at Hata town in Damoh district and is currently lodged in Pawai sub-jail of Panna district.
A court in Pawai town had earlier refused to grant him bail following which his lawyers moved the HC.
The Opposition politician was booked and arrested after a video surfaced on social media in he could be purportedly heard telling Congress workers at a meeting in Pawai, "Be ready to kill Modi. Kill in the sense of defeating him... Modi will end the elections. Modi will divide on the basis of religion, caste and language."
"The future of Dalits, tribes and minorities is in danger. If you want to save the Constitution, then be ready to kill Modi. Kill in the sense of defeating him," he had said.
Subsequently, a First Information Report was registered against Pateria under various Indian Penal Code sections, including 451 (house-trespass), 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace), 505 (statements conducting public mischief), 506 (criminal intimidation), 115 (abetment of offence punishable with death or imprisonment for life if offence not committed) and 117 (abetting commission of offence by the public).
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Cong demands TN governor's sacking over his 'secularism is European concept' remark
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress Monday slammed as "outrageous and unacceptable" Tamil Nadu Governor R N Ravi's remark that "secularism is a European concept" and demanded his immediate sacking.
Congress general secretary in-charge communications Jairam Ramesh claimed that Ravi is "only a trial balloon floater" and is echoing what Prime Minister Narendra Modi wants to get done.
Ramesh's remarks came after Ravi said secularism is a European concept that evolved after a conflict between the church and the king whereas Bharat is a dharma-centric nation and therefore, it was not part of the Constitution but added during Emergency by "one insecure prime minister".
The Tamil Nadu governor, while addressing an event in the Kanyakumari district on Sunday, said a lot of frauds have been committed against the people of the country and one of those was a wrong interpretation of secularism.
Reacting to the remarks, Ramesh said, "This man, who has taken an oath on the Constitution and who -- inspite of his drumbeating -- remains a Constitutional functionary, should be sacked forthwith. He is a disgrace."
"This is not the first outrageous and unacceptable statement he has made. But he is only a trial balloon floater. He is echoing what the non-biological PM wants to get done," the Congress leader said.
Ravi had also said, "What does secularism mean? Secularism is a European concept, secularism is not a Bharatiya concept."
Decades later, during Emergency (1975-77), "one insecure prime minister," introduced secularism in the Constitution in order to appease some sections of people, the Governor alleged.
Indira Gandhi was the prime minister during Emergency.
Ravi further said that secularism emerged in Europe as there was a fight between the church and the king and in order to end this conflict, which went on for a long time, this concept was evolved.
At the time of Independence, when the Constitution was being drafted, a discussion came up on secularism and the Constituent Assembly rejected it observing that Bharat is a dharma-centric country and there has been no conflict, similar to what was witnessed in Europe, Ravi had claimed.
