Court raps cops in Abu Azmi case

MUMBAI: Court surprised police filed charges against Abu Asim Azmi for praising Aurangzeb without reviewing the interview video; bail granted with conditions.

MUMBAI: The Sessions Court has expressed surprise that the police registered an offence against Samajwadi Party leader Abu Asim Azmi, over his recent remarks hailing Mughal emperor Aurangzeb without even watching the video recording of the interview.

Abu Azmi (PTI)

“I asked the investigating officer about the video of the interview. I was surprised to hear that the investigating officer does not have the video recording of the alleged interview till today and he registered the offence without seeing that interview,” additional sessions judge VG Raghuwanshi said in an order granting anticipatory bail passed on March 11. The detailed order was made available only on Thursday.

The court has, however, asked Azmi to exercise restraint while giving interviews. “Any irresponsible statement can flare riots and create a law-and-order problem. I hope the applicant being a senior politician will understand his responsibility,” observed the court.

Azmi was booked by the Marine Drive police for his remarks hailing Mughal emperor Aurangzeb. The court has asked the MLA to appear before the Marine Drive police on March 12, March 13, and March 15, for investigation. The controversy erupted on March 3, when Azmi called Aurangzeb a “good administrator”, adding that during his reign, India’s borders reached Afghanistan and Burma. He further said that if Aurangzeb had destroyed temples, he had also destroyed mosques.

An FIR was registered against Azmi in Thane based on a complaint filed by MP Naresh Mhaske for allegedly attempting to hurt religious feelings. The Thane police subsequently transferred the FIR to Mumbai, where a fresh case was registered against Azmi at the Marine Drive police station.

The complainant had alleged that Azmi had hurt the religious feelings of the Hindu community by praising Aurangzeb, who he said had destroyed Hindu temples and tortured Maratha king Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj.

Azmi’s bail anticipatory plea filed through advocate Mubin Solkar observed that Azmi had never made any derogatory remarks against the Maratha king or any other Hindu ruler. Azmi had alleged that his statements had been quoted out of context by his political opponents to draw political mileage. The prosecution had opposed the anticipatory bail plea on grounds that Azmi made controversial statements in his interview which may trigger riots and cause a law-and-order problem.