The Kerala High Court on Thursday quashed the proceedings against a publisher who had been charged with promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion.
The Thampanoor police had booked a case against Joy Cherian, managing director of New Jyothi Publication, invoking Section153 (A) of the Indian Penal Code that dealt with “promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony.”
The allegation against the petitioner was that he published an image of the Prophet in a textbook for Class II of the Central Board of Secondary Education. A group of persons had vandalised the office of the publication following the publication of the image. Delivering the judgment, Justice K. Ramakrishnan said the publisher had tendered apology and withdrew all publications when some objections were raised regarding the printing of the picture.
