Remarks against Jain monk: Vishal Dadlani, Poonawalla move HC for quashing of FIR | The Indian Express

MUSIC composer and singer Vishal Dadlani and Congress activist Tehseen Poonawalla have approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking quashing of the FIR registered against them for allegedly making defamatory remarks against Jain monk Tarun Sagar who gave a religious discourse in Haryana state assembly on August 26.The FIR was lodged at Ambala Cantt police station on August 28.

Their petitions would come up for hearing on September 14 before the court headed by Justice Jaspal Singh.

The FIR was registered on a complaint by Ambala resident Puneet Arora that they have hurt religious sentiments of Jain community through their tweets on the Jain monk’s religious discourse.

The FIR was registered under Sections 153-A(promoting enmity between different groups on grounds of religion, race), 295-A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 509 (word, gesture or act intended to insult the modesty of a woman) of IPC.

Earlier, Dadlani had approached the Supreme Court seeking quashing of the FIR and stay on his arrest but the SC bench comprising Justices V Gopala Gowda and Adarsh Kumar Goel had on September 7 refused to grant any relief and asked Dadlani to move the High Court first.