Manipur: Court grants bail to lawyer arrested under sedition charges for remarks against Amit Shah

Singh, a lawyer and also the spokesperson of Manipur Congress, was arrested on April 12 midnight for allegedly “abusing mainland Indians” and using “foul and derogatory” language against Shah on a local television talk show.

Additional Sessions Judge Ajay Daga convicted Parmar under sections 302 (murder) and 317 (parent leaving a child with intention to abandon) of the Indian Penal Code.

A city court in Imphal last week on April 12 granted bail to a lawyer and said sedition charges slapped on him for alleged derogatory remarks against Union Home Minister Amit Shah lacks “prima facie” evidence.

“Everyone is entitled to express their voices and opinions on issues that they feel strongly whether it be favourable or against the government. The act of the prosecution of slapping sedition law against the accused person is prima facie lacking,” the court said in the bail order issued in favour of the lawyer, Sanaojam Samachoron Singh.

Singh, a lawyer and also the spokesperson of Manipur Congress, was arrested on April 12 midnight for allegedly “abusing mainland Indians” and using “foul and derogatory” language against Shah on a local television talk show. Singh was one of the panellists on a TV talk show debating on Shah’s statement to make Hindi compulsory.

He was arrested following a complaint by the president of the Manipur unit of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha. While the prosecution sought further custodial remand of Singh, the city court rejected it and released him on bail on the night of his arrest.

“The statements of the accused person were prima facie not offensive or derogatory or foul to such extent to send the accused person into custody,” said the bail order of the court which was released on Tuesday.

In the order, the court also pointed out that the prosecution has failed to show that the accused person is likely to abscond and that there is a possibility of the accused person tampering with evidence.

The complainant had also accused the lawyer of deliberately humiliating and belittling the Hindus of mainland India by terming them as “animals” despite the other panellists restraining him from doing so.

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“The very act of the accused is deliberate and malicious which brings into hatred, contempt and excites the innocent public against the government established by law and intended to outrage religious feelings of religious belief of Hindus of mainland India, including Manipuri Hindus,” the complaint had stated. Subsequently, Singh was arrested under several charges of the IPC, including sedition.