New Delhi: Supreme Court while hearing the Gynvapi masjid matter today ordered transfer of Gyanvapi mosque case to District Judge, Varanasi. Supreme Court orders that senior and experienced judicial officer of UP Judicial services will hear the case.
Meanwhile, Ratan Lal, a history professor with Delhi University’s Hindu College who was arrested last night over a social media post that appeared to question claims of a ‘Shivling’ found inside Varanasi’s Gyanvapi mosque complex, has been granted bail.
Mr Lal was arrested by officers of north Delhi’s Cyber Police Station. He is accused of promoting enmity between groups on grounds of religion and committing “acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony”.
A FIR against Mr Lal was registered Tuesday night following a police complaint by a Delhi-based lawyer. Complainant advocate Vineet Jindal said Mr Lal recently shared a “derogatory, inciting and provocative tweet on the Shivling”.
Defending his post earlier, Mr Lal had said, “In India, if you speak about anything, someone or the other’s sentiment will be hurt. So this is nothing new. I am a historian and have made several observations. As I wrote them down, I have used very guarded language in my post and still this. I will defend myself.”