A Mumbai court has granted anticipatory bail to Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi, who was booked for hurting religious sentiments after he showered praise on Mughal emperor Aurangzeb in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly.
Additional Sessions Judge VG Raghuwanshi granted bail to Azmi on a solvent surety bond of Rs 20,000.
The SP MLA was directed to appear before the investigating officer on March 12, 13, and 15 between 11 am and 1 pm. He was further ordered not to tamper with any evidence related to the case.
On March 3, while attending the Budget Session of the Maharashtra Assembly, Azmi reportedly called Aurangzeb a ‘good administrator’.
He claimed that during the reign of Aurangzeb, India was called ‘A Golden Sparrow,’ as it clocked in a GDP of 24 percent. This was the reason that the British came to India.
Azmi further claimed that Aurangzeb did not take a single rupee from the administration. During the regime of the Mughal emperor, India’s borders extended to Burma and Afghanistan.
The SP MLA also said that Aurangzeb’s army included Hindu commanders. Claiming that the battles fought by the Mughal emperor were not between Hindus and Muslims, Azmi said the same had been misinterpreted.
Further, in his remarks to the media, the SP MLA alleged that the ruling political party in India was seeking to create a divide between Hindus and Muslims, adding that their actions were aimed at ‘destroying’ the Muslims in this country.
Azmi’s remarks created a political furore across the country and led to his suspension from the Maharashtra Assembly.
Several people said that by praising Aurangzeb, who had destroyed many Hindu temples, Azmi not only hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus, but also defamed the ruling political establishment.
The SP MLA was booked for offences under Sections 299 (deliberate insult to religious beliefs), 302 (hurting religious feelings), 356(1) and 356(2) (defamation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), which govern offences related to religious sentiments and defamation.
The politician claimed that the media misrepresented his statements. He further sought revocation of his suspension from the Assembly.
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