Bilaspur: The CG HC on Friday granted bail to Seer Kalicharan Maharaj, who was serving a jail term for the past three months for issuing defamatory remarks on the father of the nation- Mahatma Gandhi and praising his assassin Nathuram Godse at a public gathering in Raipur.
The decision on the 44-year-old seers’ bail plea was reserved on Monday, by a single bench of Justice Arvind Singh Chandel.
As per the order issued by the bench, Kalicharan has to furnish a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with two solvent sureties each of Rs 50,000 to the satisfaction of the concerned trial court for his appearance before the court as and when directed.
Kishore Bhandari, counsel for the accused submitted proofs claiming Kalachakra to be innocent and being implicated falsely due to political rivalry. “The decisive ingredients for establishing the offence are missing in the first information report,” Bhaduri said. “There is no suggestion that the applicant [Kalicharan] did anything as against the government of Chhattisgarh, Government of India or any other governments of states.” However, the opposition Additional Advocate General appearing for the state, asked the court to deny the bail – citing the nature of the offence.
The Raipur police on the 30th March had filed a 50-page challan against the controversial Seer Kalicharan in the court of chief judicial magistrate (CJM).
He was arrested from Madhya Pradesh’s Khajuraho town on December 30 after a video showed him using an expletive about Gandhi and accusing him of destroying the country at the Raipur event made rounds on the internet. The arrest was sorted on an FIR, that was lodged on December 26th at Tikarpara police station under sections 505 (2) (statements creating or promoting enmity, hatred or ill-will between classes) and 294 (obscene acts).