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.