Chhattisgarh HC grants bail to Kalicharan Maharaj who made remarks against Mahatma

The bench ordered that the applicant shall be released on bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with two solvent sureties each for a sum of Rs 50,000 to the satisfaction of the concerned trial court for his appearance before the said court as and when directed.

Bilaspur:The Chhattisgarh High Court has granted bail to a 44-year-old Hindu religious leader Kalicharan Maharaj, who made indecent remarks about Mahatma Gandhi. Justice Arvind Singh Chandel heard the bail plea on Friday. The bench ordered that the applicant shall be released on bail on furnishing a personal bond of Rs 1 lakh with two solvent sureties each for a sum of Rs 50,000 to the satisfaction of the concerned trial court for his appearance before the said court as and when directed.

Meanwhile, Kalicharan, who had made a controversial statement against the Father of the Nation in the Dharma Sansad of Raipur on December 26, was in jail for the last three months. Earlier, his bail application was rejected by the lower court. Consequently, lawyer Mehul Jethani has filed a bail petition in the High Court. The offense under section 124A of the IPC (sedition) is prima facie not made out against the applicant, he added.

On Friday, the bail application was debated in the court of Justice Arvind Singh Chandel. Presenting the argument on behalf of Kalicharan, senior advocate Kishore Bhaduri said that Kalicharan had said certain things written in the books and it is not a crime to say things written in the books in public.

Additional Advocate General Sunil Otwani, appearing for the government, said that even after making indecent remarks against Mahatma Gandhi, Kalicharan has no remorse, because four days after giving his statement, he made a statement on YouTube which said that he has no regrets. Otwani further argued that he can repeat his act after getting the bail and spread communalism. Therefore, Kalicharan should not be given bail.