The Kerala High Court on Friday asked the police to respond to a petition filed by BJP State president P.S. Sreedharan Pillai seeking to quash a criminal case registered against him in connection with his controversial speech on the Sabarimala issue.
The hearing on the petition was adjourned to November 13.
The case has been filed under Section 505(1)(b) of Indian Penal Code (making statement with an intent to cause fear or alarm to the public whereby any person may be induced to commit an offence against the State or against public tranquility).
The prosecution case was based on a complaint that at a meeting of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha, he had allegedly stated the closure of Sabarimala shrine by the tantri in case any woman entered it would not amount to contempt of court and the people were behind him.
According to Mr. Pillai, he had not made any statement with an intention to cause any fear or alarm among the public. It was very clear from video footages of the meeting that he had asked the gathering to conduct the protest in a peaceful manner and not in a violent manner.
But these parts of his speech were suppressed by the media. Attempts were made to make the petitioner liable for the things which he had not even intended in his speech. He argued that no ingredients under Section 505(1)(b) had been made out in the complaint.