Aligarh court rejects police closure report against RJD member for tearing Manusmriti on TV

A court in Uttar Pradesh’s Aligarh district has rejected the closure report filed by the police in a case against Rashtriya Janata Dal Spokesperson Priyanka Bharti for allegedly tearing pages of the Manusmriti during a television show in December, Live Law reported on Monday.

The Manusmriti is a Hindu text authored by an ascetic named Manu. It has been widely criticised for its gender and caste-based codes.

The debate had been organised by news channels India TV and TV9 Bharatvarsh in December.

In the closure report, the investigating officer said that the incident had taken place in Delhi, or some other place. Therefore, no crime had been committed within Aligarh’s jurisdiction, the officer argued.

Bharat Tiwari, the organisation secretary of the Rashtriya Savarn Parishad, had filed a complaint in December alleging that Bharti had insulted Manusmriti in a premeditated manner, by tearing it on live television. The act had hurt the sentiments of the Hindu community, he alleged.

Tiwari also accused Bharti of spreading false information about the scripture with the intention of inciting unrest in the country.

Based on the complaint, the Aligarh Police had registered a first information report against Bharti under a section of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings.

The order was passed on September...

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