Supreme Court on Thursday stayed the criminal proceedings against Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya in case concerning his remarks made on the Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas.
A bench of Justices BR Gavai and Sandeep Mehta issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government in the matter, seeking its response to Maurya's plea.
The bench questioned the counsel representing UP government that how can an offence be made out of his remarks that are Maurya's personal opinion.
Maurya who left BJP just before the 2022 Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh and joined SP, had stirred controversy with his remarks saying that objectionable language has been used against Dalits and Adivasis in the Ramcharitramanas written by Tulsidas.
“This is not true that crores of people read it. It was written by Tulsidas for own happiness. But why abuses in the name of religion? Abuses to Backwards, Dalits and tribals. I respect all religions. But if in the name of religion, a community or caste is humiliated then it is objectionable,” Maurya said.
Maurya has served as a Cabinet Minister in the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh before 2022. He left BJP alleging discrimination b y the BJO against the Other Backward Classes (OBCs).
Maurya was charged under Sections 153 A, 295A and 504 of IPC by the UP police for insulting its religious beliefs. The Samajwadi Party had distanced itself from his remarks.
In October 2023, a Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court dismissed a petition filed by the Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya.
Maurya had moved the high court seeking directions to quash legal proceedings against him in a lower court concerning the case of remarks against Ramcharitmanas.
In a relief to the politician, the top court today stayed the criminal proceeding against him and asked the Uttar Pradesh government to file its response.