FIR Against 49 Celebrities To Be Dropped, Bihar Cops To Book Advocate Who Filed ‘Frivolous’ Complaints

The Bihar police has dropped the sedition case filed against the 49 celebrities and intellectuals who wrote an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi in July, asking him to intervene to stop mob lynching. The cops also said that they will also file a complaint against the advocated Sudhir Ojha – the complainant – for filing frivolous complaints. 

The sedition case against 49 eminent artists and intellectuals - including author Ramchandra Guha, actor and film-maker Aparna Sen, and film-maker Shyam Benegal - was filed last week, leading to a huge controversy.

"The SSP recommenced closure of the case and action against the complainant for filing a false case without any rhyme or reason," the officer said. "The investigating officer in the case will file the final report at the local court within a day or two," police spokesperson Jitendra Kumar was quoted as saying by NDTV.

Sudhir Ojha, the complainant, is known to be linked to Ramvilas Paswan's Lok Janshakti Party. Paswan being an ally of the NDA, the case was apparently embarrassment to the Nitish Kumar government, party sources said.

Earlier, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor from Thiruvananthapuram wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and urged him to take a public stand welcoming dissent and assure the nation of his "commitment to upholding Freedom of Expression even when it involves disagreement with you or your government."

"We are deeply disturbed by the FIR filed in Muzaffarpur, Bihar against a group of 49 concerned Indian citizens, who wrote a letter to you, on July 23, 2019, highlighting the rise of mob lynchings in the country," he had said in the letter dated October 7.

Information & Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar has slammed Tharoor for expressing ‘strong protest’ over the registering of an FIR against eminent citizens. 

Javadekar said that it was an ‘absolute falsehood’ spread by vested interests and ‘tukde-tukde’ gang and asserted that it has nothing to do with either the Bharatiya Janata Party or its dispensation at the Centre.

"This has nothing to do with the BJP and the government. This is a canard which is always spread to defame the Modi government and used to give an impression that there is a choking of freedom of expression in a draconian fashion under it," he told PTI.

Javadekar refrained from naming anyone but said that spreading falsehood and falsification of facts is an old practice of critics to defame the Modi government.

With Agency Inputs