The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to the Uttar Pradesh government for arresting dalit scholar Kanwal Bharti for allegedly writing a Facebook post criticising the suspension of IAS officer Durga Shakti Nagpal by the Uttar Pradesh government after she took action against illegal sand mining in the state.
Bharti, who has written a number of books on issues concerning dalits, was arrested earlier this month after he wrote in support of the IAS officer and criticised state urban development minister Azam Khan. He was later released on bail as the magistrate found no merit in the allegations against him. In his post, Bharti had said that while Ms Nagpal was suspended and charged with endangering communal harmony by ordering the alleged demolition of a wall at a mosque, no official was penalised for demolishing a madrasa in Rampur district of the state as it was ordered by the “powerful” Azam Khan. An aide of the minister later filed a police complaint accusing Bharti of promoting disharmony between two religious groups.
On Friday, a bench headed by Justice H.L. Gokhale sought explanation from the state government within four weeks. The court asked why the writer was arrested in violation of its May 16 order.