49 celebs’ sedition case to be withdrawn

Patna: The Bihar police on Wednesday decided to close the sedition case against 49 prominent personalities who had written an open letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi raising concerns over incidents of mob lynching across the country.

Talking to this newspaper on the phone, Muzaffarpur SSP Manoj Kumar said that during the investigation, the police did not find “enough substance” in the sedition charges and decided to close the case against all 49 celebrities. He said a case will also be filed against lawyer Sudhir Kumar Ojha for filing a false case against the celebrities.

“Recommendations have been made for closure of the case against celebrities as the investigation rev-ealed the allegations were levelled against the accused only to gain publicity. A case against the complainant will also be filed under Sections 182 and 211 of the Indian Penal Code”, the Muzaffarpur SSP said.

The police had registered the case last week after an order by chief judicial magistrate Surya Kant Tiwary. The court passed the order while hearing a petition filed by social activist and lawyer Sudhir Kumar Ojha.

Those against whom the petition was filed included filmmakers Anurag Kashyap, Shyam Benegal, actors Soumitra Chatterjee and Mani Ratnam, and singer Subha Mudgal.

When contacted, the complainant, lawyer Sudhir Kumar Ojha, told this newspaper that he had appeared before the police with four witnesses — Mukesh Sah, Ajit Kumar, Basisth Narayan Ojha and Santosh Kumar.

Mr Ojha said he gave newspaper cuttings as proof and also recorded his statement before the police. The case against 49 prominent personalities had created a flutter in political and social circles.