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Mudra an obscene gesture? UK court dismisses complaint
Sheila Jacklin was then charged with harassment by the police after her neighbours in Normans Bay sent them CCTV footage of her Yoga practice, but the case was thrown out last week when the prosecution offered no evidence in court.
A British court has dismissed a case against an Indian-origin woman whose daily Yoga practice by a beach near her house in Sussex infuriated a neighbour-couple, who believed her hand ‘Mudra’ to be an obscene gesture aimed at them and complained to the police.
Sheila Jacklin and her family went through nearly a year of engagement with the police and courts after neighbours sent CCTV footage of her Yoga practice to the police. An expert in Hinduism deposed in the Hastings Magistrates Court that the ‘Mudra’ is not rude but part of a prayer.
Mother-of-two Jacklin, 53, and her husband Nigel Jacklin, 57, were given a Community Protection Notice, which banned them from walking directly past their neighbours’ homes. It also meant they could face prosecution for being “perceived by any person to be looking into any neighbours’ property”.
Jacklin was then charged with harassment by the police after her neighbours in Normans Bay sent them CCTV footage of her Yoga practice, but the case was thrown out last week when the prosecution offered no evidence in court.
Chairwoman of the bench Janet Courtney said: “The prosecution are offering no evidence in respect of this matter and therefore all charges are dismissed. There will be no trial and you are free to leave. I understand it’s been a very distressing time for you”.
Asked for a restraining order on Jacklin, Courtney said: “This application is opposed by the defence on the grounds it would not be reasonable or proportionate. While we are aware of the background to the matter the defendant is of good character. A restraining order risks inflaming an already strained situation”.
Jacklin said after the case was dismissed: “It’s a huge relief. I’m in a state of shock. This should never have come to court in any shape or form. I told the police it was to do with my Indian heritage and my yogic prayers. It’s been a total attack on Hinduism and highly offensive to call my Mudra an ‘F-you’ gesture.”
Satish Sharma of the National Council of Hindu Temples UK deposed in court that Jacklin’s activities are a part of Hindu worship and intrinsic part of Yoga practices. He said the middle finger in Jacklin’s Mudra, part of her prayer, has a special Hindu and Buddhist significance.
He said: “This particular Mudra is used for merging with Akaash - a Sanskrit untranslatable word for which the closest English equivalent would be the ether element. This is within us and outside of us. Sheila Jacklin’s use of this Mudra is to connect to ether ‘outside of the body.’”
The Sussex Police said: “The prosecution had been authorised by the Crown Prosecution Service. We are not in a position to comment further.”
