Pay Rs 10 lakh each, get FIR quashed: HC to Dadlani, Poonawala

The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Tuesday asked music composer and singer Vishal Dadlani and politician Tehseen Poonawalla to pay Rs 10 lakh each to get the FIR against them quashed.

Allowing the FIR to be quashed, Justice Arvind Singh Sangwan said that both will have to pay the costs of Rs 10 lakh first.

The High Court said that the fine was imposed to give a message so that no one mocked at heads of religious sects.

The court observed that the petititioners (Dadlani and Poonwalla) had played mischief to gain publicity.

Dadlani and Poonawalla were booked by the Haryana Police in August 2016 in Ambala Cantt. for hurting the religious sentiments of the Jain community.

They had made comments on social media in August 2016 after the Haryana government had invited revered Jain monk, Muni Tarun Sagar, to address the Haryana assembly on August 25, 2016.

Both had moved the High Court for quashing the FIR after the Supreme Court, in September 2016, directed them to approach the High Court.

The case against both was registered "for deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings and other offences" under Sections 295-A, 153-A and 509 of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) at Ambala Cantonment police station. IANS