Punjab and Haryana High Court turns down Agnivesh plea to quash FIR against him

CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has turned down a plea of social activist Swami Agnivesh seeking to quash an FIR filed against him for hurting sentiments of Hindus.

Justice L N Mittal yesterday also held that the utterance attributed to the social activist in the FIR hurts the feelings of Hindus.

"Averments made in the FIR regarding utterances attributed to the petitioner do prima facie make out a case under Section 295-A, IPC, because such utterances certainly hurt the religious feelings of Hindus, who undertake the holy Amarnath yatra," Justice Mittal observed and turned down Agnivesh's plea.

Earlier this year, various Hindu organisations had castigated Agnivesh for his "blasphemous" remarks on the Amarnath yatra in Kashmir.

A case, under Section 295A of the IPC, was registered against Agnivesh on May 23 in Hansi sub-division of Haryana after a complaint was lodged by social activist Praveen Tayal.

Section 295-A deals with deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings by insulting religion or religious beliefs.

On Monday, the Hansi sub-divisional magistrate court had issued a non-bailable warrant against Agnivesh and directed that he be produced before it on September 19.

Turning down Agnivesh's plea, Justice Mittal observed "averments made in the FIR regarding utterances attributed to the petitioner do prima facie make out a case under Section 295-A, IPC, because such utterances certainly hurt the religious feelings of Hindus, who undertake the holy Amarnath yatra."