MP High Court Grants Anticipatory Bail To Congress Worker Booked For 'Derogatory' FB Comment On Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to a former Congress councillor, Mahendra Jain, who has been accused of posting a derogatory comment against Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia from his Facebook account. A bench of Justice Milind Ramesh Phadke granted him the relief taking into account the punishment provided for the offences alleged as well the nature of accusation. For context, Jain is facing the FIR under Sections 352 [Intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace.], 353(2) [Statements conducing to public mischief], and 356(2) [Defamation] BNS. As per the FIR, a video from Gwalior's Khirka Tanka village surfaced on the internet. In it, a woman was shown complaining to religious spokesperson Anirudh Acharya about the poor condition of the village's schools. She also alleged that the teachers rarely take classes despite the fact that the school is just 2 km away from the local MLA's house. The video was shared by Congress leader Sachin Sharma on his Facebook page. On the said post, Jain allegedly made indecent and objectionable remarks about Union Minister Scindia. Aggrieved with the alleged comment, Scindia's supporters submitted a complaint to the local police station, following which, the FIR in question was lodged against him. Before the HC, Jain's counsel argued that he had been falsely implicated in the present case and that the alleged offences are not punishable with a mandatory sentence. It was also submitted that the applicant has no criminal antecedents and his confinement would bring personal inconvenience and social disrepute. The counsel for the state, on the other hand, opposed his anticipatory bail plea. The single judge, however, thought it fit to grant him the relief by making the following observations: "Taking into account that the offences alleged under Sections 352, 353(2), and 356(2) of the BNS, 2023 are not punishable with mandatory sentence and the nature of accusation, without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, this Court intends to allow this application under Section 482 of BNSS, 2023".Case title - MAHENDRA JAIN Versus THE STATE OF MADHYA PRADESHCase citation : 2025 LiveLaw (MP) 187Click Here To Read/Download Order

MP High Court Grants Anticipatory Bail To Congress Worker Booked For 'Derogatory' FB Comment On Union Minister Jyotiraditya Scindia

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