BJP MLA held for defamatory remarks, gets bail

HYDERABAD/DELHI: Controversial BJP leader T Raja Singh was arrested by the city police on Tuesday following his alleged remarks against Islam and Prophet Mohammed in a video which was later pulled down by the social media platform on which it was uploaded.

Hours after the arrest, he was granted bail by a local court before which he was produced. The court accepted Raja Singh’s lawyer’s argument that the police did not issue notice under CrPC 41(A) to the accused before the arrest. The police did not follow the Supreme Court directions that a notice should be issued to accused before the arrest in cases which attract below seven years of imprisonment, Raja Singh’s advocate told reporters. Mild tension prevailed at the court as pro and anti-Raja Singh people gathered and indulged in slogan shouting. Police had to resort to mild lathi-charge to disperse them. After an uproar against his remarks, BJP suspended Singh from the party. On Monday, the BJP MLA released a video criticising stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui, who recently performed in the city. Singh is also purportedly seen making some comments, apparently against Islam, in it.