Aanchal Agarwal –
Published on: September 15, 2021 at 14:26 IST
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today granted Anticipatory Bail to Punjabi Singer Gurdas Maan in a case of hurting religious sentiments.
Earlier on 8th September, a Jalandhar Court had dismissed a Petition regarding the same.
A Single Judge Bench of Justice Avneesh Jhingan granted the Bail while observing that custody is not necessary as nothing is to be recovered.
The High Court also noted that Maan is a reputed singer and is not a personality who will abscond from the investigation. He has been asked to join the probe in a week.
During a religious fair on August 24th, Gurdas Maan described Ladi Shah of Dera Baba Murad Shah in front of the crowd as a descendant of the third Sikh master.
Afterwards, when social media outrage began against his statement he issued an apology for the same.
But on 26th August a case was filed against him at the Nakodar Police Station and he was booked under Section 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code.
The Counsel for Maan argued before the Court that under Section 295A it has to be proved that the accused has committed the said act with malicious intent to hurt the religious sentiments of any part of the society. While in this case, the First Information Report (FIR) fails to report any evidence regarding the same.
The Bail plea stated that “As a humble Sikh and a sensitive citizen, the Petitioner made a widely circulated public apology. His words ought to be interpreted in the total background of his lifelong devotion to Sikh Gurus and to the principles of Sikhism”.
The plea also argued that the Trial Judge got carried away by the religious beliefs and sentiments of the society through a sustained campaign.
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