Court grants bail to ex-journalist Prashant Koratkar over remarks on Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, his son

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The sessions court in Maharashtra's Kolhapur on Wednesday granted bail to former journalist Prashant Koratkar, accused of using offensive language against Maratha king Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and his son Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.

Nagpur resident Koratkar, who was arrested on March 24 and subsequently remanded in 14-day judicial custody, is currently lodged in Kalamba jail in Kolhapur district.

The former scribe has been accused of threatening historian Indrajeet Sawant and making derogatory remarks against Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj and Sambhaji Maharaj, both highly revered figures in Maharashtra.

Earlier, a Judicial Magistrate (First Class), or JMFC, here had denied bail to Koratkar after the prosecution argued he might tamper with evidence if released from jail. He had subsequently moved the sessions court.

The sessions court on Monday had reserved its order on his bail application. On Wednesday, it granted bail to Koratkar, who appeared via videoconferencing from the jail, on a surety of Rs 50,000.

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