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Tag: Munawar Faruqui

  • Lack of case diary extends comedian Munawar Faruqui’s bail hearing in Madhya Pradesh HC

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL: The Indore Bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Friday adjourned for the next week, hearing of application filed by Mumbai-based stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui for bail in a January 1, 2020 case pertaining to alleged derisive remarks about Hindu deities and Union Home minister Amit Shah.

    A single judge HC bench of Justice Rohit Arya adjourned the hearing of bail plea filed by Munawar Faruqui and Indore resident Nalin Yadav, as the Tukoganj police failed to produce the case diary of the case in which Faruqui, Yadav and four others have been arrested and their pleas rejected by the lower courts.

    “We had moved bail applications on behalf of Munawar Faruqui and Nalin Yadav and the matter was listed for hearing before the HC for hearing. Senior Supreme Court advocate and Rajya Sabha member Vivek Tankha appeared on behalf of the bail applicants. But since the local police could not produce the case diary, the hearing in the matter was adjourned for next week,” Faruqui’s counsel Anshuman Srivastava told in Indore.

    “Personally I believe that it is negligence on part of the police that they could not produce the case diary in the HC on time. We further requested the HC to direct the police authorities to produce the case diary, particularly since the Tukoganj police station in Indore is located just in front of the court. But since the matter was already adjourned, the HC listed it for hearing on the next date after a week,” Srivastava added.

    Faruqui along five others, including Indore based stand-up comedian siblings Prakhar and Priyam Vyas, Nalin Yadav, event coordinator Endwin Anthony and Sadaqat were arrested by the Tukoganj police in Indore on January 1, 2021 in connection with a New Year Day comedy show at a popular café, where derisive remarks were allegedly made about Hindu deities and also union home minister Amit Shah. They were also booked for violation of COVID-19 safety protocol as the New Year Day show was organized without permission of local administration-police.

    The arrested were booked Sections 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings), 298 (deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings), 269 (negligent act likely to spread disease), 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 34 (common intention) of IPC.

    The arrests were made by Indore’s Tukoganj police on the complaint of local saffron outfit head Eklvaya Singh Gaur, who is also the son of local BJP MLA and ex-Indore mayor Malini Gaur.

    Eklaviya Gaur along with other members of his right wing Hindu outfit was present among the audience at the New Year Day comedy show at the popular café at Indore. Gaur and his supporters had stopped the show, alleging that a stand-up comedian performing there had hurt religious sentiments of a community by making derisive remarks about Hindu deities and union home minister Amit Shah.

    UP Police seeks Faruqui’s custody in April 2020 case lodged in Prayagraj district

    Meanwhile, in a related development, the Prayagraj district police of Uttar Pradesh have submitted a production warrant to the Indore Central Jail and also the CJM court in Indore for Faruqui’s production in a April 2020 case lodged against him at George Town police station of Prayagraj district.

    The case registered on April 19, 2020 at Prayagaraj’s George Town police station on the complaint of Prayagraj-based advocate Ashutosh Mishra pertains to videos uploaded on the Youtube by Faruqui in which insulting remarks have been made about Hindu deities Ram-Sita and also linking Union Home Minister Amit Shah with the 2002 Godhra violence.

    The case at George Town police station in UP’s Prayagraj district was lodged under Sections 153-A, 295-A of IPC and Section 65 and 66 of Information and Technology Act 2008 on April 19, 2020.

    When contacted in the matter, official sources in Prayagraj police confirmed that a Production Warrant has been submitted before the Indore Central Jail authorities and Indore CJM court on January 7, 2021 for Faruqui’s custody for production before the court in Prayagraj district in connection with the April 2020 case.

  • Comedian Munawar Faruqui, in jail for two weeks, moves MP High Court for bail

    By PTI
    INDORE: Stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui, arrested by Indore police nearly two weeks ago for allegedly hurting religious sentiments during a show, has now moved the Madhya Pradesh High Court seeking bail.

    The application may come up for hearing on Friday, court sources said. Earlier, the magistrate’s court as well as the sessions court had rejected his bail plea.

    On Wednesday, chief judicial magistrate Aman Singh Bhuria extended Faruqui’s judicial custody till January 27.

    ALSO READ | Court denies bail to comedian Munawar Faruqui arrested for ‘derisive’ comments on Hindu deities

    Police arrested Faruqui, who hails from Gujarat, and four others on January 1 following a complaint by a BJP MLA’s son that objectionable remarks were made by him and others about Hindu deities during a comedy show at a local cafe.

    Faruqui’s father-in-law Younus Badra Imani told PTI that he met the comedian at the central jail here on Saturday and again on Wednesday.

    “He asked about the well-being of his wife and other family members,” Imani said, claiming that jail officials did not allow Faruqi to talk to his family over phone citing rules.

    Jail superintendent Rakesh Kumar Bhangre said the facility of talking to family members on phone is provided only after observing the inmate’s behaviour for 90 days.

    In the hearing before lower courts, the prosecution strongly opposed Faruqui and others’ bail pleas, claiming that they took part in a program at a cafe in 56-Dukan area amid coronavirus pandemic without any permission.

    Further, during the comedy show, indecent remarks were made against Hindu deities, it said.

    The prosecution also alleged that some content of the show was obscene even though minors were present in the audience.

    ALSO READ | Varun Grover, Vir Das rally behind comedian Munawar Faruqui arrested for ‘indecent’ remarks about Hindu deities

    Accused’s lawyer said allegations leveled against them were vague and the case was registered only due to political pressure.

    The police arrested the comedian and four others on January 1 on the complaint of Eklavya Singh Gaud (36), son of local BJP MLA Malini Laxman Singh Gaud.

    Gaud stated that he and his associates had gone to watch the the programme but forced the organizers to stop it when some “indecent” comments were made against gods and goddesses and Union Home Minister Amit Shah.

    The accused were booked under IPC sections 295-A (outraging religious feelings) and 269 (unlawful or negligent act likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life) and other relevant provisions.

    Later one more person was arrested for taking part in the program.

  • Court denies bail to comedian Munawar Faruqui arrested for ‘derisive’ comments on Hindu deities

    By PTI
    INDORE: A court here in Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday rejected bail to stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui and another accused who were arrested last week on the complaint of a BJP MLA’s son that “indecent” remarks were made against Hindu deities during a show held in Indore in Madhya Pradesh.

    After hearing arguments of both the sides, Additional District and Sessions court judge Yatindra Kumar Guru rejected the bail plea of Faruqui and Nalin Yadav.

    On January 2, the court of chief judicial magistrate rejected the bail plea of the comedian, Yadav and three others.

    Faruqui, a resident of Gujarat, was arrested on Saturday along with four others for allegedly making indecent remarks against Hindu deities and against Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a show held at a cafe in 56 Dukan area of Indore on January 1.

    The complaint was filed against them by Eklavya Singh Gaur (36), son of local BJP legislator Malini Laxman Singh Gaur.

    Anshuman Shrivastava, the lawyer for Faruqui and Yadav, said on Tuesday that the allegations levelled against his clients are “vague” in nature.

    He said the duo was booked under political pressure.

    He said Faruqui and Yadav are actors and didn’t make any comment that hurt the religious feelings of any person.

    Opposing the bail plea, prosecution lawyer Vimal Mishra said both the accused had participated in the event for which no permission was taken from local administration amidst the pandemic.

    Mishra said indecent remarks were made against Hindu deities at the event, which he claimed was “full of obscenity despite the presence of minor boys and girls among the audience”.

    The other arrested persons were identified as Edwin Anthony, Prakhar Vyas and Priyam Vyas.

    One more person was arrested later for taking part in the programme, police had said.

    Police had booked five accused under sections 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs), section 269 (unlawful or negligent act likely to spread the infection of any disease dangerous to life) and other provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC).

    Gaur had said he and his associates had gone to the show as audience, where the comedian made the remarks.

    They objected to his comments and created ruckus over it.

    They also forced the event to stop.

  • Comedian Munawar Faruqui, 4 others held in Indore over ‘derisive’ comments on Hindu deities

    By Express News Service
    BHOPAL: Five men including Mumbai-based stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui have been arrested in Indore for featuring in a New Year programme where derisive comments were allegedly made about Hindu gods and goddesses.

    The five men arrested on Friday evening have been identified as stand-up comedians Munawar Faruqui (Mumbai), Prakhar Vyas, Priyam Vyas, Nalin Yadav (Indore) and event coordinator Edwin Anthony.

    “The arrested men have been booked under IPC sections 188, 269, 34 and 295A for organising the event sans permission, flouting COVID-19 safety norms and hurting religious sentiments,” Inspector in-charge of Indore’s Tukoganj police station Kamlesh Sharma told The New Indian Express on Saturday.

    While the arrested men will be produced in court on Saturday, the Tukoganj police station is also set to book in the same case Muktesh Jain, who owns the popular cafe where the paid event was being organized sans any official permission on Friday evening.

    Munawar FaruquiThe matter came to light when members of a local saffron outfit Hind Rakshak Sagathan including Eklavya Gaur (son of ex Indore mayor and present BJP MLA Malini Gaur), who were among those present at the event, objected to the derisive reference by a local stand-up comedian and got the event stopped.

    “The stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui is a serial offender, who in the past has often denigrated Hindu gods and goddesses at his shows. When we came to know about the event being scheduled for New Year Day at the cafe on the third floor of a building located on the famous 56 Dukan food street, we too bought tickets and were seated among the audience,” Eklvaya Gaur said.

    “On expected lines, objectionable references were not only made about our gods and goddesses, but those performing there even made derisive references about Union home minister Amit Shah and dragged his name into the Godhra carnage. We got the event stopped immediately, brought the audience out and then took the performers and event organisers to the local police station,” Gaur added.

    In the past too, the Gujarat-born and Mumbai-based stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui has landed in trouble for making derisive comments about Hindu gods and goddesses in various parts of the country.

    In April 2020, he was booked by police in Prayagraj district of UP for a YouTube video in which he was seen mocking PM Narendra Modi.