Delhi court Saturday granted bail to Delhi University professor Ratan Lal on furnishing a bond of Rs 50,000 and a surety of that amount.
The Dalit associate professor at the Hindu College was arrested over his social media post regarding the claims of a shivling being found in UP’s iconic Gyanvapi mosque and was produced in court.
Following his arrest, the students and teachers of several colleges and student groups Fraternity Movement and Students Federation of India (SFI) protesting outside at Vijaya Nagar police station and outside at Delhi University’s Arts Faculty demanding his immediate release.
“Custody should not be extended. This is an abuse of law. If anybody who is writing is taken into custody… jails will be thronged by intellectuals,” Ratan Lal’s lawyer told the court.
Ratan Lal’s counsel also argued that the police had ample time to serve notice and wait for reply.
“If there was an unsatisfactory reply, then you could have arrested him. This is contempt of Arnesh Kumar judgement and the officers involved in this arrest should face departmental enquiry,” Lal’s lawyer said.
