The Allahabad High Court has granted bail to two individuals accused of chanting the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ outside a mosque in Meerut, an act the prosecution claimed was aimed at promoting religious enmity.
Justice Rajbeer Singh passed the order allowing the bail applications filed by the accused, Sachin Sirohi and Sanjay Samarval.
According to the prosecution, Sirohi and Samarval, along with others, forcibly recited the ‘Hanuman Chalisa’ near a religious place belonging to another faith. It was alleged that this act was deliberately done to promote hostility and hatred on religious grounds.
The Uttar Pradesh government and the complainants strongly opposed the bail plea. They argued that the accused had attempted to disturb communal harmony by targeting a place of worship of the Mohammedan community and should therefore not be granted bail.
Counsel for the applicants argued that Sirohi and Samarval had been falsely implicated due to political rivalry. It was contended that there was no reliable evidence linking the accused to the alleged offence, and the charges were motivated by malice.
In the order passed on June 4, the High Court noted:
“The instant matter, considering submissions of learned counsel for the parties, nature of accusations, period of detention and all attending facts and circumstances of the case, without expressing any opinion on the merits, a case for bail is made out. Accordingly, bail application is allowed.”
The Court clarified that the order is based solely on the facts placed before it at the bail stage and does not amount to any finding on the merits of the case.
