Supreme Court gives 10 days time to UP government on Swami Prasad Maurya’s petition in Ramcharitmanas comment controversy

The Supreme Court on Friday (23 February) gave 10 days to the Uttar Pradesh government to respond to the petition of Swami Prasad Maurya in which he has challenged the order of the Allahabad High Court. In its order, the High Court had rejected the petition of former Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Maurya in which he had requested to cancel the ongoing proceedings regarding his comments about ‘Ramcharitmanas’.

Swami Prasad Maurya formed a new political party

Swami Prasad Maurya is accused of making ‘objectionable’ comments about ‘Ramcharitmanas’. The proceedings are pending in Pratapgarh court of the state. After leaving SP, Maurya formed his new political party ‘Rashtriya Shoshit Samaj Party’ (RSSP) on Thursday (22 February).

The apex court has put a stay on criminal proceedings

A bench of Justice BR Gavai, Justice JB Pardiwala and Justice Sandeep Mehta adjourned the hearing after the state government’s counsel sought time to file its reply. On January 25, the apex court had stayed the criminal proceedings against Maurya in the case and issued a notice to the Uttar Pradesh government. In his petition before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, Maurya had challenged the chargesheet filed against him as well as the summons issued by the lower court. The High Court had rejected his petition on October 31, 2023.

The lower court has also issued summons to Maurya in the case

Last year, an FIR was registered against Maurya and others in Pratapgarh district on the complaint of a person named Santosh Kumar Mishra. After the police filed the chargesheet against Maurya and others in the lower court, the court had issued summons to them. Maurya has claimed that there is no evidence against him to confirm the allegation that he has blasphemed a Hindu religious text.