Gujarat govt seeks SC nod for completing probe against Nandy

The Gujarat government has requested the Supreme Court to allow it to take to a "conclusive end" the probe into a criminal complaint lodged against political analyst Ashish Nandy for his new newspaper article allegedly portraying the state in bad light.

The Gujarat government has requested the Supreme Court to allow it to take to a "conclusive end" the probe into a criminal complaint lodged against political analyst Ashish Nandy for his new newspaper article allegedly portraying the state in bad light.

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An FIR was registered against Nandy under section 153A (promoting communal disharmony) and 153B (imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration) of IPC in January 2008 on a complaint of V K Saxena, president of Ahmedabad-based NGO National Council for Civil Liberties, for his remarks on the people of Gujarat on the outcome of the 2007 Assembly poll.

Nandy had contended that the FIR was registered out of mala fide intention and was aimed at penalising him for expressing his bona fide views.

The Gujarat government, which filed an affidavit in compliance to the apex court notice, said, "The probe is at a pre-mature stage and this court may allow the investigating officer to carry out his investigation to a conclusive end.

"It is pertinent to note that nowadays people as well as organisations under the guise of freedom of speech and expression take undue advantages of liberal approaches of courts to try out cases falling under chapter VIII of the IPC and commit offences against public tranquillity.

"Therefore, in the larger interest of justice such petitioners (Nandy and others) may not be encouraged by allowing quashing of petition at threshold."

The state government said the petition of Nandy seeking quashing of criminal proceedings against him be dismissed as "the FIR in the instant case prima facie discloses the offence under sections 153A and 153B."