In a huge relief to the former editor of an Urdu daily, Avadhnama, Shirin Dalvi, the Bombay High Court on Wednesday disposed of the petition filed by her after she reproduced the cover of the French magazine Charlie Hebdo which had carried a controversial cartoon of Prophet Mohammed in January 2015.
There were complaints filed against her after the daily reprinted the cartoons in its January 17, 2015 edition. However, soon after, readers also complained and the newspaper issued an apology on January 18, 2015.
A Division Bench of Justices Ranjit More and Bharati Dangre was hearing a petition filed by Ms. Dalvi seeking to quash the FIRs filed against her after she was charged with Section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code.
Her petition said, “She [Ms. Dalvi] was hounded by people because of which she had to go underground. She had to change her style of dressing, switch off her mobile phones, lock up and leave her residence out of fear for her life.”
On February 9, 2015, another Division Bench of the HC directed that no coercive action be taken against Ms. Dalvi, which was extended from time to time.
On March 18, 2015, another Division Bench of the HC had allowed the Maharashtra government to transfer all FIRs against her to the State Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Pune.
While opposing her anticipatory bail, the Mumbai police had earlier told a city civil and sessions court, “The accused [Ms. Dalvi] has hurt the sentiments of the Muslim community and granting her anticipatory bail will create a law and order problem.”
On Wednesday, assistant public prosecutor K.V. Saste, appearing for the CID, filed a ‘C’ summary report. This report is filed in conditions where “the case is neither true nor false or when the criminal case is filed due to mistake of facts.”