Nagpur, Mar 17 The Bombay High Court on Tuesday sought a reply from the Maharashtra Home Department and city police over a petition demanding action against a journalist and another person over alleged derogatory statements about Mahatma Gandhi.
At a programme organised by the Sakal Hindu Samaj Sammelan, senior journalist Pushpendra Kulshrestha made highly objectionable statements and stated that Gandhi can not be termed the Father of the Nation, alleged petitioner Ashwin Bais, a local Congress functionary.
The petition, filed through Advocate Akash Moon, sought a direction from the high court to Sitabardi police in the city to act on his complaint against Kulshrestha and Nishant Gandhi, organiser of the February 15 programme,
Justices Anil Pansare and Nivedita Mehta of the Nagpur bench of the high court issued notices to the state home department, Nagpur Police Commissioner, Kulshrestha and Nishant Gandhi, seeking replies by March 30.
The petitioner shall furnish the audio clip of the speech in question to the police and also submit it to the court, the division bench said.
