Maya's nod to Varun Gandhi's prosecution

More than 20 months after Bhartiya Janata Party Member of Parliament Varun Gandhi spewed communal venom during his election campaign in Pilibhit, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday gave its mandatory sanction for his prosecution.

The much awaited permission signed by state home secretary Anand Kumar came following Chief Minister Mayawati's nod to let Varun face the music for his highly provocative utterances.

"This will also help expedite his trial in the three criminal cases registered against him," the home secretary told mediapersons in Lucknow on Friday evening.

The cases were hanging fire in the absence of the state government's permission which was mandatory under the provisions of section 153 of the Indian Penal Code.

Of the three criminal cases registered against Varun, the first one is related to the anti-Muslim speech he delivered at a public rally in Barkhera village of Pilibhit district on March 8, 2009, for which a criminal case was registered on March 17 the same year.

The second case was registered over the same incident at the behest of the Election Commission which took serious cognizance of that very speech.

Yet another case on a hate speech delivered by Varun Gandhi at Desh Nagar locality of Pilibhit town on March 7 was registered on March 19.

It was widely believed that if the hate speeches helped Varun to force a sharp communal divide and polarisation of Hindu votes in his favour, Mayawati's earlier decision to slap the National Security Act on him further made him some kind of a  "Hindu martyr."