An MP-MLA court in Mau has accepted a revision plea over Amit Shah’s 2022 UP poll speech. The case, based on a complaint by a Hanuman devotee, has been sent to a lower court.
An MP-MLA court in Mau has accepted a revision petition concerning a contentious speech made by Union Home Minister Amit Shah during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly election campaign.
The court has remitted the case file to the subordinate court for further action.
This issue originated from a complaint lodged by Naval Kishore Sharma, a local resident and devotee of Lord Hanuman.
Sharma’s advocate, Gani Ahmed Nomani, stated that during a rally in Budaun, Shah allegedly compared Lord Hanuman to a “bahubali” (strongman or muscleman), likening him to figures such as Shahabuddin, Azam Khan, and Mukhtar Ansari.
Nomani explained that upon seeing the news coverage in newspapers and on electronic media, Sharma, who identifies as a priest, felt deeply offended and misled. After sending a legal notice to Shah, which went unanswered, he subsequently filed a complaint in the MP-MLA subordinate court.
Nomani recounted that on the day the complaint was submitted, the subordinate court dismissed it without hearing Sharma or his counsel, citing a lack of jurisdiction. Upset by this decision, Sharma filed a revision petition in the Sessions Court on Tuesday, which was accepted on the same day. An order was issued to notify Shah.
District and Sessions Judge (MP-MLA court) Rajiv Kumar Vats ruled on Wednesday that the Mau district has the proper jurisdiction to handle the case.
Nomani noted,
“The court has ruled that the jurisdiction on the basis of which the complaint was dismissed is indeed with Mau district,”
He further added,
“The case will now proceed in Mau.”
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The court has accepted Sharma’s revision petition, and the case file has been forwarded to the subordinate court for the recording of evidence.
The subordinate court will independently determine the dates for witness testimonies and ensure that the proceedings continue, Nomani stated.