HC denies bail to comedian Munawar Faruqui, held for 'insulting' Hindu gods

The Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday rejected the bail applications of stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui and his aide Nalin Yadav, who were arrested earlier this year allegedly for hurting religious sentiments during their show.

“No case is made out for grant of bail,” said a single judge bench of Justice Rohit Arya, according to Livelaw. The court said materials collected so far suggested prima facie that the applicant had committed the offence he’s accused of.

“The evidence/material collected so far, suggest that in an organized public show under the garb of stand-up comedy at a public place on commercial lines, prima facie; scurrilous, disparaging utterances, outraging religious feelings of a class of citizens of India with deliberate intendment, were made by the applicants,” it quoted the order as saying.

During the January 25 hearing, Justice Arya had remarked, “Such people must not be spared. I will reserve the order on merits,” according to Livelaw.

Faruqui and four others were arrested on January 2 after Eklavya Singh Gaur, son of BJP MLA Malini Laxman Singh Gaur, had filed a complaint accusing them of passing indecent remarks against Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah during a show at an Indore cafe on January 1.

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