New Delhi: Delhi's Tis Hazari court on Saturday granted bail to Delhi University professor Ratan Lal on a bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety for the same amount. Lal was produced before the Tis Hazari court after his arrest on Friday in relation to a contentious social media post concerning the alleged discovery of the Shivling found inside Varanasi's Gyanvapi mosque complex. The Metropolitan Magistrate ordered Lal's release.
He was arrested by the Maurice Nagar Police on May 20 based on a complaint by advocate Vineet Jindal, who alleged that Lal had recently shared a "derogatory, inciting and provocating tweet on the Shivling". The FIR in the case was launched on May 18.
Lal was booked under sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion, race, place of birth, residence, language, etc., and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony) and 295A (deliberate act to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion. He was produced in the court earlier on Saturday. Left-wing students' union AISA (All India Students Association) staged a protest against DU's arts faculty building on Friday night, with other professors employed at DU also participating in the demonstration. Lal teaches at the Hindu College.
