The Bombay High Court recently granted anticipatory bail to a man who accused some members of the Tablighi Jamaat of assaulting and then spitting on him.
A single Bench of Justice S.V. Kotwal was hearing through videoconferencing a pre-arrest bail plea filed by Abuzar Shaikh Abdul Kalam, 42.
The court recorded, “The allegations in the FIR are that Mr. Kalam had prepared a video clip making false allegations against a particular religious group. He had made false allegations that he was assaulted by them and some of them spat on him. According to the FIR, the allegation in this video was false and Mr. Kalam deliberately made such allegations to hurt religious feelings and has caused rift in society,” the court said.
While granting relief to the accused, the court noted, “considering the nature of allegations at this stage, I am inclined to grant ad-interim relief till May 20,” and directed that Mr. Kalam be on bail on his furnishing a bond ₹25,000.