Kochi: The Kerala High Court on Thursday dismissed BJP leader TG Mohandas’s petition to quash the case alleging promoting religious enmity for tweeting that St Andrew’s Basilica at Arthunkal was once a Siva temple and that Hindus should reclaim it.
While dismissing the plea, justice B Kemal Pasha said it is a matter that requires a careful and proper investigation as it would otherwise lead to spreading of communal tensions or other serious issues. Truth of the matter has to be brought out through investigation, the court said. However, the court has directed that there is no need to take Mohandas’ phone into custody for the purpose of investigation.
Mohandas, who is presently the state convener of the intellectual wing of BJP, had tweeted seven times on August 22nd about the church and Arthunkal police had registered a case based on a complaint filed by TT Jismon, secretary of AIYF’s Alappuzha district committee.
It was alleged in the police complaint that the tweets were intended to create communal unrest between Christians and Hindus of the region. The intention is to create a riot like the one that took place in the name of Babri Masjid that claimed thousands of lives, the complaint had stated while seeking registration of a case for promoting religious enmity.
In the petition to the high court, Mohandas has contended that there was nothing in his tweets to attract the offence of promoting religious enmity and that the police complaint was full of imaginations. He has not made any opinion but has only shared the opinion of someone else, he had argued in the petition.
The plea for quashing the case was opposed by the state government by stating that efforts are being made to create communal tensions and tensions had broken out in one region earlier due to similar propaganda. Such campaigns that lead to communal tensions cannot be allowed, government told the court.
(Source: The Times of India)