NEW DELHI: A city court on Saturday granted bail to Delhi University Prof Ratan Lal following his arrest on Friday over an allegedly objectionable social media post involving claims of a 'Shivling' being found inside Varanasi's Gyanvapi mosque. Lal was granted bail on furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of the like amount.
Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Siddhartha Malik observed that the police’s anxiety to maintain peace and order leading to Lal's arrest was understandable, but "the court has to employ higher standards while considering the need to send a person to custody".
It was noted that Prof Lal was a person of good repute with no criminal antecedents, and that there is no likelihood that he would abscond. As a result, the court granted him bail while specifically directing him to "strictly refrain from posting any social media posts or interviews regarding the controversy which resulted in the present FIR".
The court noted that "India is a country of more than 130 crore people and any subject can have 130 crore views and perceptions". "It is true the accused did an act which was avoidable considering the sensibilities of persons around the accused in the public at large. However the post, though reprehensible, does not indicate an attempt to promote hatred between communities," it said.
Nearly four days after a complaint was registered, the police arrested Prof Lal on Friday. The police said that Lal, who teaches History at Delhi University's Hindu College, had allegedly intended to outrage religious beliefs through his social media post.
Lal was booked under IPC sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion) and 295A (deliberate act to outrage religious feelings).