No MP govt nod to charge Munawar Faruqui for insulting Hindu deities

The police are yet to submit a chargesheet against stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui in a 2021 case for allegedly making objectionable remarks about Hindu deities during a show in Indore as the investigation is still underway, an official said on Tuesday.

A senior prosecution department official, however, said the police had written to the state government on January 29, 2021, seeking permission to file chargesheet under Indian Penal Code section 295-A.

Faruqui and four others were arrested from a cafe in Indore on the night of January 1, 2021, on the charges of hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus through objectionable comments about deities during a show.

A case was registered against them under section 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and other sections of the IPC at Tukoganj police station based on a complaint lodged by Eklavya Singh Gaur, son of local BJP MLA Malini Laxman Singh Gaur.

"Our investigation in the matter is underway and chargesheet has not been submitted in the court yet," Tukoganj police station in-charge Jitendra Singh Yadav told PTI.

The prosecution department official said the required permission for filing the chargesheet is awaited though the Indore police had written to the state government on January 29, 2021.

As per provisions of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC), the state government's permission is required before a chargesheet is presented in a case registered under section 295-A of the Indian Penal Code, the official said.

Faruqui was lodged in Indore's central jail for 35 days. He was released on interim bail on February 6, 2021, on the Supreme Court's order.

He recently won the 17th edition of the reality TV show Bigg Boss. In 2022, he became the winner of the first edition of Lock-Up, another reality show aired on two OTT platforms.