Salute Tricolour 21 times with 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' slogan: High Court to man accused of raising pro-Pak slogan

JABALPUR: The Madhya Pradesh High Court has granted bail to a man accused of shouting a pro-Pakistan slogan and directed him to salute the national flag at a Bhopal police station 21 times and raise 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' slogan twice a month till the end of the trial.

Justice DK Paliwal, in the order on Tuesday, said the applicant may be released on bail by imposing some conditions which may enthuse in him a sense of responsibility and pride for the country in which he was born and living.

"He is openly shouting slogans against the country in which he was born and brought up," the HC stated.

The court directed the accused to salute the national flag and chant 'Bharat Mata ki Jai' slogan on every first and fourth Tuesday of the month.

The accused, Faizal alias Faizan, was arrested after an FIR was registered against him at Bhopal's Misrod police station in May under section 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) of the lapsed Indian Penal Code (IPC).

"It is directed that applicant - Faizal alias Faizan be released on bail on his furnishing a personal bond of Rs 50,000 with one solvent surety in the like amount to the satisfaction of the trial court, for his regular appearance before the trial court during the trial," the HC order said.

"It is further directed that he shall continuously mark his presence before police station Misrod, Bhopal every 1st and 4th Tuesday of the month till the conclusion of the trial and shall salute the National Flag unfurled on the building of the police station 21 times by raising 'Bharat Mata ki Jai'," the high court stated.

As per the prosecution, the accused had shouted a pro-Pakistan slogan which amounted to promoting enmity between different groups and his act was prejudicial to the maintenance of harmony and national integration.

"After investigation, a charge sheet has been filed," the court order noted.

The defence counsel submitted that the applicant had been falsely implicated.

However, the learned counsel (for the applicant) has fairly stated that in a video, the applicant is seen shouting the slogan hailing Pakistan and denouncing India, the order stated.

The state government's counsel opposed the bail, saying the applicant was a habitual offender and 14 criminal cases were registered against him.