Clean chit given to 49 celebrities who wrote open letter to PM Modi

An advocate S. K. Ojha had filed a petition in the Chief Judicial Magistrate court, which after hearing the case ordered police to lodge an FIR against the celebrities.

He said that nearly 50 signatories of the letter were named as accused in his petition in which they allegedly "tarnished the image of the country and undermined the impressive performance of the Prime Minister", besides "supporting secessionist tendencies".

In the letter the celebrities had stated that the lynching of Muslims, Dalits and other minorities must be stopped immediately, while stressing that there was "no democracy without dissent". The letter also had said that "Jai Shri Ram" had been reduced to a "provocative war cry".