Hate speech: Kerala Police moves court to cancel PC George's bail

Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala Police has approached a Thiruvananthapuram court seeking cancellation o bail granted to politician PC George on a case of hate speech against Muslims, PTI reported.

George was taken into custody over the case on May 1 after his inflammatory comments against the community. While addressing a programme in Ananthapuri Hindu Maha Sammelan in the state capital, he called on non-Muslim communities to avoid restaurants run by Muslims, saying that Muslims might serve them tea added with drops causing impotence. He claimed that Muslims do such an act to turn other communities infertile, aiming to seize control of the country.

In its fresh plea before the Judicial First Class Magistrate Court-II, the police that George's conduct breached the bail conditions and his bail must be cancelled under Section 437(5) (When bail may be taken in case of non-bailable offence) of The Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC). The plea said that after receiving bail, George met visual media in front of the Judicial Officer's Quarters, Vanchiyoor and said that he was sticking to the claims he stated in his speech. Such an act is the repetition of his crime of spreading communal hatred, which is after the court granted bail on terms that he would not make further controversial statements that might hurt religious sentiments.

Earlier, George was arrested for charges sections 153A (promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion) and 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or religious beliefs) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). After being released on bail, he added to the media that his arrest was Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan's "Ramadan gift for terrorist Muslims."