New Delhi: The Madhya Pradesh high court on Friday, February 12, granted ad-interim bail to two people who had been arrested with comedian Munawar Faruqui.
A single bench of Justice Rohit Arya granted Prakhar Vyas (23) and Edwin Antony (25) bail and issued notice on the bail applications filed by them.
On February 11, the Indore district court had extended the judicial custody of Vyas and Antony, along with show organiser Nalin Yadav (25), and Sadaqat Khan (23).
Faruqui, the main accused, was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court on February 5. A minor who was also among those arrested had got bail earlier.
Arguing before the court, Ajay Bagadiya, the counsel for both Prakhar and Edwin, said, in a bid to maintain parity, the two should be granted ad-interim bail, according to Indian Express. Bagadiya said the two also have a strong case for release even without the parity argument.
In two separate orders that ran identical, Justice Arya observed, “The applicant is held entitled for temporary bail maintaining parity in light of the order of February 5 passed by the Supreme Court (granting bail to Faruqui).”
“Accordingly, applicant is hereby enlarged on temporary bail on the conditions to the satisfaction of the trial court, with further condition that applicant shall not indulge himself in any such activity subversive to public order,” the order stated.
Also read: ‘Comedy and Satire Are Necessary’: Artists Want Charges Against Faruqui, Others Dropped
On January 28, the same Justice Rohit Arya had dismissed the bail applications filed by Faruqui and show organiser Nalin Yadav, observing that no case was made out for grant of bail.
Nail Yadav, Priyam Vyas and Sadaqat Khan, who had been arrested with Faruqui, continue to be in jail, LiveLaw has reported.
Faruqui and several others were arrested following a complaint by Eklavya Singh Gaud, son of local BJP MLA Malini Laxman Singh Gaud. Gaud did not submit any evidence with the complaint, saying that he overheard Faruqui rehearsing objectionable jokes against Hindu deities and Union Home Minister Amit Shah before a show on January 1.
Police later admitted that the comedian’s act did not even start, but justified his arrest on the claims that he was ‘going to’ make these jokes.