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Friday, March 29 2024
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Bidar

‘No sedition in play’, observes Court, grants bail to all in Bidar sedition case

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Bidar: In a big relief, a district and sessions court here has granted anticipatory bail to five management representatives of Shaheen Primary School in Bidar, stating that the play staged in the school around Citizenship (amendment Act) has caused no disharmony in the society.

The play was staged by students on January 21 and this sparked a row when clippings of the video went viral and  many alleged that disparaging statements were made against Prime Minister Narendra Modi by the children in the play.

The case was registered on January 26 on a complaint from Neelesh Rakshyal, a local activist, who had watched the play on Rahim’s account. Bidar police invoked clauses relating to offences of sedition, promoting enmity between groups and breach of peace — IPC Sections 124A, 153A and 504. 

The court cited lack of material for a prima facie case of sedition and stated in the anticipatory bail orders passed on March 3 that “ingredients of Section 124A of IPC (sedition) are not prima facie made out’’.

District Judge Managoli Premavathi observed that the children had only expressed their fear that they may have to leave the country if they do not procude the documents. Except that there is nothing in the place that could amount to sedition.

The court granted anticipatory bail to Abdul Qadeer, 60, president of Shaheen Group of Institutions; school headmaster Allauddin, 40; and three members of the school management committee with a personal bond of Rs 2 lakh each.

Mohammed Yousuf Rahim, a local journalist who broadcast the play on his social media account, was also granted anticipatory bail.

Najibunnissa, 46, mother of a student who had acted in the play, and school headmistress Fareeda Begum, 50, were granted bail on February 14 by the court of Principal District and Sessions Judge, a fortnight after their arrest in the case.

With regard to insult to the PM, the Court observed that the PM himself had to lodge a complain against the dialogues in the play to attract IPC 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke brach of the peace) in the case.

“If it were not uploaded on Facebook, the public would not (even) have come to know about the dialogues of that drama. The drama has not caused any disharmony in the society,’’ the court ruled.

 

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