The Supreme Court on Friday granted interim bail to comedian Munawar Faruqui. Faruqui was held over allegations of ‘insulting Hindu gods and goddesses’ during a show. The SC also issued notice to Madhya Pradesh government and put on hold a warrant against him in Uttar Pradesh.

Stand-up comic Munawar Faruqui, who was lodged at an Indore jail in Madhya Pradesh for allegedly hurting religious sentiments, was granted relief by the apex court after being in jail for over a month.

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The bench headed by Justice RF Nariman issued notice to Madhya Pradesh government on the comedian’s plea challenging the high court order refusing to grant bail to him and his request that FIR against him is cancelled when his lawyer argued that the due procedure was not followed.

Comedian Munawar Faruqui’s lawyer, Gaurav Kirpal argued that a person cannot be arrested without magistrate’s order or a warrant.

Justice Nariman asked lawyer Kirpal, “Do you say that Section 41 CrPC was not followed as per our 2014 judgment?”

Lawyer Gaurav Kirpal replied that it wasn’t and that his client was being harassed. Munawar Faruqui had been denied bail thrice. The MP High Court refused to grant him bail on January 28.

While refusing the bail the MP High Court had observed, “The evidence/material collected so far, suggest that in an organized public show under the garb of standup comedy at a public place on commercial lines, prima facie; scurrilous, disparaging utterances, outraging religious feelings of a class of citizens of India with deliberate intendment, were made by the applicants.”

The court rejecting the bail application said, “There is also a specific assertion by the learned counsel for the complainant that the applicant along with other co-accused persons allegedly making outraging filthy jokes in social media deliberately against Hindu Gods, Lord Shriram and Goddess Seeta hurting religious sentiments of Hindus for the last 18 months despite, protest on various social media platforms. There is nothing on record to the contrary.”

Munnar Faruqui and four other comedians Nalin Yadav, Edvin Anthony, Prakhar Vyas, and Priyam Vyas were arrested on a complaint filed by local BJP MLA and ex-Indore mayor Malini Gaur’s son Eklavya Singh Gaur.

They were arrested for alleged insults to Hindu gods and comments on Union Home Minister Amit Shah on January 1. He was denied bail by sessions court earlier.