Indian court grants bail to man booked over remarks linked to Lanka and Sita

The Madhya Pradesh High Court in India has granted anticipatory bail to a man accused of making “objectionable remarks” about Lord Ram and Goddess Sita while narrating an episode connected to Lanka and the Ramayana, ruling that although his choice of words may not have been appropriate, there was no material at this stage to establish that he intended to hurt religious sentiments.

A report published by the Indian Express said that the ruling by Justice Devnarayan Mishra of the Madhya Pradesh High Court came on a bail application filed by Sandeep Kumar, who had hosted a cultural event organised by U.S. Agro Seeds Company in Seoni district earlier this year.

Kumar was booked by the Barghat Police following allegations that he had made disrespectful comments about Lord Ram and Goddess Sita while reciting a couplet during the programme, which featured a performance by bhajan singer Shahnaz Akhtar.

The controversy arose when Kumar, while referring to the events surrounding the abduction of Sita by the Lankan king Ravana, recited a couplet describing a conversation among women of Lanka about the consequences of the incident.

The prosecution alleged that Kumar had used words that were offensive to Hindu religious sentiments while displaying a video on his tablet during the recital.

The police registered a case against him under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, 2023, for allegedly promoting enmity through false or inflammatory statements.

However, after examining the video recording of the event, the High Court held that the context of the recital indicated that Kumar was narrating a passage from the Ramcharitmanas, a revered Hindu text, rather than making statements with the intention of insulting Lord Ram or Goddess Sita.

“The word selection may not be proper, but at this stage, it cannot be said that the applicant was intending to hurt the sentiments of the public or wanted to create any mischief, riot, affray or disharmony among people based on religion,” Justice Mishra observed.

The court noted that Kumar had referred to the fears of the people of Lanka following Sita’s abduction and that the statement attributed to him — “Sita nash karaegi” (Sita will bring destruction) — was part of the narration of those fears rather than a personal comment against Sita.

Kumar’s lawyers, Vishal V. R. Daniel and Apporva Singh Rajput, argued that the recital was based on an episode from the Ramcharitmanas and that Kumar’s intention was to explain that even Mandodari, the wife of Ravana, had feared the consequences of her husband’s actions.

The defence further submitted that Kumar had apologised immediately after objections were raised during the event and that his apology was also captured in a video recording.

Opposing bail, the prosecution argued that the remarks were serious in nature and that granting relief could encourage irresponsible statements that might hurt the religious sentiments of the majority community.

The High Court, however, said the facts of the case and legal principles laid down by the Supreme Court warranted the granting of anticipatory bail, while making it clear that it was not expressing any opinion on the merits of the allegations.

The court directed that Kumar be released on anticipatory bail in the event of his arrest, on a personal bond of 50,000 Indian rupees with one surety of the same amount.

The case has drawn attention in India due to its reference to Lanka-related episodes from the Ramayana, a centuries-old epic that continues to hold religious and cultural significance across South Asia, including Sri Lanka where several sites are associated with Ramayana traditions and tourism.