Professor jailed for derogatory comments against Smriti Irani on Facebook
A professor from Uttar Pradesh has been jailed for allegedly making derogatory remarks against Union Minister Smriti Irani on social media earlier this year. Shaharyar Ali surrendered to Additional Sessions Judge Anurag Kumar and moved an interim bail application on Tuesday. However, the judge rejected the petition, following which Ali was sent to jail. Here are more details on this.
Ali was booked in March by the Firozabad Police
Ali, the head of History department at the SRK College, was booked by the Firozabad Police in March for objectionable Facebook posts targeting Irani, the Union Women and Child Development Minister. He was charged under Section 505(2) of the Indian Penal Code and Section 67A of the Information Technology Act. The police had acted on a complaint by a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader.
He was served a suspension notice by the college
After the allegations surfaced, the SRK College in Firozabad had served a suspension notice to Ali. The college had stated it does not support the professor's statements and would not tolerate such remarks against women.
Both Allahabad HC and Supreme Court denied him bail
In May, the Allahabad High Court had rejected an anticipatory bail plea filed by Ali. He then approached the Supreme Court of India, which also denied pre-arrest bail to the professor earlier this month. The top court said that social media cannot be used to defame others. "You cannot say anything you like and then want to get away," the court said.
You cannot defame women like this: SC
"You cannot defame women like this. You cannot use social media just to defame. What kind of language is being used? There is a language to criticize. There is a language to say jokes," the Supreme Court had said in its order.
Ali said account was hacked, court called it an 'afterthought'
Ali had contended in the court that his Facebook account was hacked when the controversial post was made, adding he had already published an apology. But the bench of justices Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Hemant Gupta did not buy that claim. "What you are saying is an afterthought. You used the same account to post your apology but you say your account was hacked."
