The Kerala High Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by T.G. Mohandas, convener of the intellectual wing of the State unit of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), challenging an FIR registered against him in connection with a tweet against St. Andrew’s Basilica at Arthunkal.
Dismissing the petition, the court observed that if a proper investigation was not conducted, it might kindle communal tensions and lead to further grave problems in the locality.
Historical facts
The counsel for the petitioner argued that the tweet was based on some historical facts published in an article. In fact, there was no material to proceed against him under Section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony). But the crime was registered due to political enmity, he argued.The court, however, made it clear that there was no need for the petitioner to surrender his mobile phone and SIM card as part of the investigation.
