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MP Pappu Yadav during a ‘Mukhyamantri Gherao’ protest by members of the Joint Student Organization, in Patna, Bihar, Tuesday
Prayagraj: An additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) court in Prayagraj has issued a notice to Independent MP Rajesh Ranjan alias Pappu Yadav after taking cognisance of a criminal complaint filed against him by a BJP functionary over his role in a controversial skit staged in the Parliament complex.The complaint was filed by Allahabad high court advocate and BJP legal cell’s Uttar Pradesh co-convenor Sushil Kumar Mishra before the court of ACJM Yogesh Jain. After hearing the matter, the court found a prima facie case and issued notice to the MP under relevant provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), directing him to appear on August 11.The complaint pertains to alleged insult to Sanatan Dharma and hurting of religious sentiments during an opposition protest over the Ram temple donation theft controversy in the Parliament complex on July 31, a senior police official said.According to the complainant, Pappu Yadav hurt the religious sentiments of Hindus by wearing saffron robes and enacting a character linked to the alleged theft of temple donations.The complaint states that on July 31, the Bihar MP took part in a scripted skit at Makar Dwar inside the Parliament complex, dressed as a Hindu sadhu and carrying a photograph or idol of Lord Ram. During the enactment, he allegedly portrayed a temple priest collecting offerings from devotees and pocketing the money instead of depositing it in the donation box, while other opposition MPs participated and raised slogans.The skit, staged as part of the opposition’s protest over the alleged theft of donations at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, triggered sharp reactions from several Hindu religious leaders and organisations, with critics alleging that it mocked saffron-clad seers and hurt religious sentiments.
