The Madhya Pradesh High Court granted bail to Congress leader and former State Minister Raja Pateria on Monday, after he was detained for making inflammatory statements about Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Justice Sanjay Dwivedi ordered the release of Pateria on his furnishing a personal bond of ₹1 lakh with one solvent surety of the like amount.
In December 2022, Pateria was arrested for allegedly using “filthy and menacing words” against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during a Congress gathering.
On January 10, the High Court dismissed his initial bail application, stating that his release on bail may send the incorrect message to society.
At the time, the Court also stated that public officials are not expected to use profane language to disparage the image of high-ranking officials such as the President or Prime Minister. However, the Court stated that Pateria was free to resurrect the bail plea by filing a new application within thirty days.
As a result, Pateria filed a new bail application, which was granted by the High Court.
Senior Advocate Shashank Shekhar and Advocate Samresh Katare appearing for Pateria, informed the Court that the chargesheet had already been submitted and that his bail request should be considered because he had been in custody since December of last year.
On the other hand, Advocate LAS Baghel, appearing on behalf of the State opposed the application, claiming that the applicant’s previous bail application was dismissed on grounds. As a result, the State contended, a second bail application with no change in circumstances could not be accepted.
The Court, however, proceeded to grant bail in light of Pateria’s prior liberty to re-file the application within thirty days.
When granting bail, the bench stated that it was not commenting on the merits of the case against Pateria.
