MADURAI
Taking into account the COVID-19 pandemic situation, the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court has stayed the summons issued by Sivaganga police to an Assistant Commandant of Central Reserve Police Force, stationed at New Delhi.
The court was hearing the petition filed by Assistant Commandant Ravi Ranjan Sinha, who sought to quash the FIR registered against him by Karaikudi North police based on a complaint lodged by an RSS functionary.
The complainant, R. Suriyanarayanan, had alleged that some unknown person had created a Twitter account in the name of ‘RSS for India’ and a comment was made in Hindi on the Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).
While the complainant alleged that the remark was made in the name of the RSS to create tension by portraying a distorted version of the CAPF, the petitioner said the message was a reply to a colleague and the expression did not cause any hatred.
Perusing the documents, Justice B. Pugalendhi observed that in the opinion of the court the message could not be construed to be creating any enmity, hatred or ill-will between two classes or communities.
The court took into account the submission that there were other accounts using the name of the RSS such as ‘Friends of RSS’. The judge also took note of the fact that the de facto complainant had not been authorised to lodge a complaint on behalf of the RSS.
The court said it was not inclined to interfere with the investigation, but in view of the pandemic situation, stayed the summons issued to the Assistant Commandant and directed the State and the de facto complainant to file their counters. The case was adjourned till August 24.
Earlier, the High Court Bench had dismissed the anticipatory bail petition filed by the Assistant Commandant.
