Judge who denied Munawar Faruqui bail joins BJP in Madhya Pradesh

Bhopal: Praising the BJP-led Union government or overhauling the Indian Penal Code, former Madhya Pradesh High Court judge Rohit Arya joined the BJP on Saturday. The judge, who denied bail to comedian Munawar Faruqui, joined the saffron party in the presence of Chief Minister Rajendra Shukla, The Indian Express reported.

Justice Arya said in a seminar that it is a significant achievement that the Centre overhauled the penal code “to Justice Code”. He claimed that people were grateful for the overhaul and that it would improve lives in the country since the Penal Code was imposed on Indians by the British regime.

He then claimed that the spirit of justice existed in India during Rama Rajya and Mahabharata, but the British, who were intimidated by Indian culture and spirituality, attacked the land’s education system by eliminating Sanskrit and promoting English.

Justice Arya had grabbed headlines for multiple controversial rulings during his term as a judge. He had denied bail to stand-up comedian Munawar Faruqui, as well as stand-up artist Nalin Yadav, in 2021. The judge observed that the evidence gathered showed outrageous religious feelings of a class of citizens of India with deliberate intendment. Fauquier and Yadav were accused of violating Covid-19 protocols during a show in Indore.

Justice Arya said in his order that the State must endeavour to ensure that the country’s ecosystem and sustenance of coexistence in its welfare society is noted to be polluted by negative forces. However, the Supreme Court granted Faruqui bail, setting the Jus Arya’s order.

In another controversial ruling, the judge had granted bail to a man who was accused of outraging the modesty of a woman, on one condition that the man present himself before the victim on the day of Raksha Bandhan and get a ‘rakhi’ tied on his wrist. The judge also asked the accused person to promise that he would “protect” the complainant.