Following the Supreme Court order, the Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted anticipatory bail to the principal of Government Navin Law College in Indore in connection with keeping an allegedly controversial book in the institute's library. However, in its order on Wednesday, the HC refused to give anticipatory bail to a co-accused professor.
The reason stated for this was that his alleged role was different from that of the principal and the apex court had not given the former protection in the case. On December 3, police filed an FIR against Government Navin Law College principal Dr Inamur Rahman and Professor Mirza Mojij Baig as well as the publisher and author of the book 'Collective Violence and Criminal Justice System' on a complaint by Lucky Adiwal, a Akhil Bhartiya Vidyarthi Parishad (ABVP) functionary and student of LLM college.
In this regard, Adiwal claimed the book contained objectionable comments against Hindus, and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh and promoted religious hatred. On December 16, the SC granted an interim stay on Rahman's arrest. Additionally, it had also issued notices to the MP government and others on the issue, as stated in a report by PTI.
MP HC's Indore bench Justice Anil Varma on Wednesday, December 21, granted anticipatory bail on a bond of rupees one lakh to Rahman. Further, it refused to give anticipatory bail to Baig (41), who reportedly teaches Constitution in the college.
This is what High Court said
"Although co-accused Inamur Rahman has been enlarged on anticipatory bail in the instant case but case of the present applicant is different from the case of Inamur Rahman; co-accused Inamur Rahman is holding the administrative post of principal in the aforesaid Law College but the present applicant is the professor, who regularly teaches and delivers lectures to the students of the aforesaid law college."
"And being professor he (Baig) is in a position to incite the mind of the students and most of the important difference is that Hon'ble Supreme Court granted a stay on the arrest of the co-accused Inamur Rahman in connection of the instant offence but no such protection has been provided to the present applicant," the HC added. Further, in view of the material evidence available on record against the applicant (Baig), this court is not inclined to grant anticipatory bail at this stage, the HC said.
Replying to the court, State government counsel Kamal Kumar Tiwari told the court that the professor had incited students to read the controversial book available in the library with the intention of spreading hatred against the Hindu religion. If he is given bail, the professor may abscond, he added.
However, Baig's lawyer Abhinav Dhanodkar dismissed the state government counsel's contention that his client was teaching the Constitution in the law college. In this regard, Dhanodkar told the court that Baig has nothing to do with this controversial book, as stated in a report by PTI.
