Chandigarh court denies bail, citing serious allegations and public order concerns against accused.
Police say X post was provocative and capable of inciting communal disharmony and unrest.
Court says filing of chargesheet alone cannot justify granting bail to accused.
A Chandigarh court has refused bail to a Hyderabad-based man arrested for allegedly posting what it described as misleading and scandalous content about Prime Minister Narendra Modi on social media, observing that his release could disturb public order and promote enmity between groups.
According to the Bar and Bench, Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Sonali Singh, in an order passed on July 27, declined the bail plea of Hassan Mohiduddin Siddiqui, who was arrested on April 25 in connection with a post on X.
Bail Plea Rejected
The court held that the allegations against the accused were serious and found no fresh grounds warranting his release. It observed that merely because the police had filed a chargesheet did not entitle the accused to bail.
"I am of the view that if bail is granted to the applicant, it will amount to disturbing the public order and it will promote enmity between the groups," the court said.
Siddiqui was booked by the Chandigarh Police following a complaint by advocate Satinder Singh. The case relates to a post on X in which the accused allegedly shared a video of a man receiving a facial massage and falsely claimed that the individual was Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The post also alleged that United States intelligence agencies possessed compromising videos of the Prime Minister.
Court Cites Public Order
Seeking bail, counsel for Siddiqui argued that he had remained in judicial custody for more than two months and pointed out that the offences invoked carry a maximum punishment of three years' imprisonment.
The Chandigarh Police opposed the application, contending that the social media post was provocative, objectionable and capable of inciting communal disharmony and disturbing public peace.
Rejecting the plea, the court noted that Siddiqui's earlier bail application had already been dismissed in May and that no new circumstances had been placed before it except the filing of the chargesheet, which by itself could not justify the grant of bail.
The accused was represented by advocate Abhey Joshi.
The same first information report had earlier figured before the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which in May declined anticipatory bail to academic Madhu Purnima Kishwar.
According to media reports, Kishwar had also shared the video while claiming that the person receiving the facial massage was the Prime Minister. The claim was subsequently debunked by fact-checkers.
