VHP leader Acharya Dharmendra gets one year in jail for hate speech / Court issues bailable warrant against Ramdev in ‘beheading remark’ case

Senior Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader Acharya Dharmendra has been sentenced to one year imprisonment by a Rajasthan court for making a hate speech in November 2008. Judicial magistrate, Baran district, Ashish Meena pronounced the verdict yesterday holding the VHP leader guilty of causing communal disharmony. "We honour the courts order, but we will challenge it in the sessions court in a months time," defence counsel Dilip Singh Panwar told PTI. 

Kotwali police in Baran district had booked the VHP leader on November 27, 2008 for his speech at a religious gathering. A case was registered against him under various sections of IPC pertaining to promoting enmity between different groups, disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant and other offences. PTI AG RT

A Rohtak court on Friday issued a bailable warrant against yoga guru Ramdev in a case over his controversial ‘beheading remark’ made in the city last year. The order followed the failure of Ramdev to appear before the court on its summon for April 29. Ramdev was summoned under Section 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of Indian Penal Code (IPC) for his remark that he could “behead lakhs of people refusing to chant ‘Bharat Mata Ki Jai’ if he weren’t bound by the law”. He was addressing a large gathering in Rohtak during a ‘Sadbhawana Rally’ organised to put balm on the riot-hit state after violent Jat agitation for reservation where he had courted controversy with his statement.

A day after his remark, former home minister and senior Congress leader Subhash Batra had lodged a complaint with police against him. Batra later moved court after the police did not register a case. The court had on March 2 summoned Ramdev for April 29, but he failed to appear. On Thursday, the court of additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) Harish Goyal directed Ramdev to furnish Rs 1 lakh personal surety during the execution of warrant and also to appear before the court on June 16.

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