In a significant legal development, the Allahabad High Court has upheld a decision dismissing a case against Swami Rambhadracharya, who was accused of making objectionable remarks against Dalits during a religious discourse. The appeal, lodged by Prakash Chandra after a special judge for SC/ST cases rejected his initial complaint, was turned down by Justice Saurabh Srivastava on the grounds that the allegations did not substantiate a specific offence under the SC/ST Act, 1989, Section 67 of the IT Act, or other sections of the IPC.
Chandra’s plea called for the registration of an FIR over statements made by Rambhadracharya, which he claimed disparaged the Scheduled Caste community. The request was initially dismissed by the special SC/ST Act judge in Prayagraj, citing maintainability issues in an order dated February 15, 2024.
During the proceedings at the high court, senior advocate M C Chaturvedi, representing Rambhadracharya, argued that the seer’s comments did not constitute an offence under the stipulated acts as alleged in the appeal. The additional government advocate also supported this position, indicating that the special court’s order was both reasonable and legally sound.
