Case against Sonia for hurting Hindus’ feelings

A Muzaffarpur court has admitted a complaint against Congress president Sonia Gandhi charging her with outraging religious feelings of Hindus in her portrayal as Goddess Durga in a poster at the party’s Muradabad office in Uttar Pradesh.

District Judge H K Srivastava admitted the complaint filed by an advocate Sudhir Ojha against Sonia, Uttar Pradesh and Muradabad district party presidents.

The charges were made under three sections of IPC: Sections 295 (injuring or defiling place of worship with intent to insult the religion of any class), 295 (a) (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) and 120(b) (criminal conspiracy).

After admitting the petition on Wednesday, Srivastava transferred it to fast-track Judge V K Mandal for initiating legal proceedings.

Earlier on December 1, 2007, a magistrate had dismissed Ojha’s petition that prompted the lawyer to move the court of the district judge on December 11, 2007.

Ojha, in his complaint, alleged the Muradabad district Congress president in league with UP Congress committee chief had put up the poster on the wall of the party’s Muradabad office on June 21, 2007.

Sonia was in criminal conspiracy with them in the exercise, he charged.

The poster with Sonia as ‘Durga’ was beamed by television channels and its photographs appeared in several newspapers hurting the sentiments of the Hindus, he alleged.

The fast track court is likely to take up hearing of the case next month.

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