A bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Rajesh Patil issued a notice to the police on Monday and posted the matter for further hearing after four weeks
Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi. File Pic
Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Abu Azmi has moved the Bombay High Court seeking the quashing of two "politically motivated" FIRs registered against him over his remarks on Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, reported news agency PTI.
A bench of Justices A S Gadkari and Rajesh Patil issued a notice to the police on Monday and posted the matter for further hearing after four weeks.
In an interview with the media in March, Azmi allegedly stated that Aurangzeb was a "good administrator" and during his reign, India's borders expanded up to Afghanistan and Burma. Azmi purportedly said if Aurangzeb had razed temples, he also destroyed mosques, reported PTI.
The comments were made in the context of the release of the Hindi movie "Chhava" which depicted the conflict between Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj's son Sambhaji Maharaj, and Aurangzeb.
Following the remarks, he was suspended from the budget session of the Maharashtra legislature in March this year.
Mumbai Police registered two FIRs against Azmi.
The MLA claimed his comments were taken out of context and he had never made any derogatory remarks against any Maratha or Hindu leader.
His petition stated that the FIRs against him didn't show malicious intent to hurt the religious sentiments of any community.
"The FIR is politically motivated. It is an abuse of the process of law," Azmi stated in his plea, reported PTI.
A sessions court granted pre-arrest bail to Azmi in both cases and pulled up the police over registering the cases before going through Azmi's speech. The court also asked the MLA to exercise restraint while giving interviews.
Azmi had made a controversial statement about Aurangzeb in the Maharashtra Legislative Assembly premises during the Budget Session, which was opposed by leaders of all parties.
NCP slams Abu Azmi over ‘wari’ comment, labels him a ‘toxic element’ in Maharashtra
The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP), an ally in Maharashtra’s Mahayuti government, strongly condemned Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi on June 23 for his remarks about the ‘wari’ pilgrimage to Pandharpur and called for action against him.
NCP chief spokesperson Anand Paranjpe criticised Azmi, calling him a “toxic element” in the state. Azmi had remarked on Sunday that Muslims have never objected to the ‘wari’ tradition, while leaders such as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath often oppose namaz being offered on the streets, reported news agency PTI.
His comments drew backlash from Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who accused Azmi of creating controversy to gain publicity.
(With inputs from PTI)
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