Supreme Court slams MP government intending against Principal’s anticipatory bail over ‘Hinduphobic’ book

The Supreme Court slammed the Madhya Pradesh Government, intended to challenge the anticipatory bail granted to a law college principal. The bail was granted to the now resigned principal of Government New law College, Indore (Dr. Inamur Rahman) regarding an FIR registered over an alleged “Hinduphobic” book found in the library titled “Collective Violence and Criminal Justice System” The FIR was filed by LLM student who contended that the book was anti-national in nature, intended to harm public integrity, peace and religious cordiality as well as was based on false and baseless facts.  A petition was filed by Dr, Inamur Rahman seeking protection from arrest. 

The Madhya Pradesh High Court refused to grant him anticipatory bail in the case whereas the Supreme Court on December 16, 2022, granted the resigned principal interim protection from arrest.  While hearing the case, CJI DY Chandrachud was informed by the petitioner’s counsel Advocate Aljo K Joseph that on December 22, 2022, the petitioner was granted anticipatory bail by the Madhya Pradesh HC. Further, the stand of the State intending to challenge the order granting anticipatory bail took the bench by surprise. CJI asked the State’s counsel, “State must do some more serious stuff. He is a College Principal. Why you are arresting him? A book is found in the library which is said to have some communal undertones. Therefore he is sought to be arrested? The book was purchased in 2014. And he is sought to be arrested? Are you serious?” As per the petitioner, the book was published in 2014 and at that time he was a professor, not a principal as well was not involved in the buying process of books for the college library.