On Monday, the Bombay High Court slammed some Muslim advocates who approached the court with a plea demanding an FIR against Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde for sharing the stage with Hindu saint Ramgiri Maharaj. The judges gave a rule that no FIR would be filed against Eknath Shinde for sharing a stage with Ramgiri Maharaj. ‘There must be evidence of malafide intent for such action’, said the judges. They also cautioned the Muslim lawyer to avoid politicising the issue.
The remarks came following the Maharashtra government informed the Bombay High Court that a total of 67 FIRs had been registered against Ramgiri Maharaj for making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad during an event held in Nashik district, Maharashtra, in August 2024. Advocate General Dr Birendra Saraf, appearing for the Maharashtra government further told the court that the alleged ‘blasphemous’ content, which was shared online, is being taken down by the cyber crime police.
Notably, he submitted this while opposing a petition which sought the registration of an FIR against Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde for sharing a stage with Ramgiri Maharaj after FIRs were registered against him. However, the petition seeking the FIR against Maharashtra CM Eknath Shinde was filed by advocate Mohammad Wasi Sayed and others, who claimed that since 2014, there has been an increase in communal incidents, with state and Union governments allegedly promoting systematic Islamophobic practices, leading to mob lynchings, riots, and the marginalization of Muslims.”
Advocate Ejaz Naqvi, representing the petitioners, argued that rather than taking action against Ramgiri Maharaj, Chief Minister Shinde appeared on stage with him and made a public statement affirming that saints would be protected in the state. The Bombay High Court bench, comprising Justices Revati Mohite-Dere and Prithviraj Chavan, observed that petitions concerning the removal of the seer’s videos and the registration of FIRs for the alleged hate speech are already under consideration.
The bench said, ‘We can’t stop them from giving speeches, but the police are taking action and registering FIRs wherever they can. Just because they (Eknath Shinde and Ramgiri) are sharing a stage, it does not mean that FIR should be registered. You have to show malafides. If there is a breach, there are FIRs being registered. You (Naqvi) are making the issue political. When you digress from the core issue, then this is what happens. Your core issue is to take down videos’.
Saraf also opposed the plea, saying that FIRs against Ramgiri Maharaj had already been registered, with a total of 67 FIRs filed as of September 19. The bench remarked, ‘One cannot initiate proceedings like this emphasizing that the Chief Minister’s name should be removed from the list of respondents in the petition. Agreeing with this, the bench warned that costs could be imposed on the petitioners if not addressed’.
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