In a breather to sociologist Ashis Nandy, the Supreme Court today stayed consequential judicial proceedings after registration of an FIR and lodging of a complaint against him at Jodhpur and Patna respectively for allegedly making anti-Dalit remarks at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) in 2013.
"The proceedings shall remain stayed," a bench comprising justices A R Dave and Shiva Kirti Singh said, adding that the sociologist and author has already apologized.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal and lawyer Gaurang Kanth, appearing for 77-year-old Nandy, said the criminal proceedings, which may be set in motion due to filing of recent FIR and a complaint, be stayed as it would cause grave hardship to their client.
The bench also allowed the fresh application of Nandy that Bihar, Bihar State SC/ST Advocates Union, which has lodged a criminal complaint against him in a Patna court, be made parties in his pending petition before the apex court.
He also sought to implead the person as party before the apex court who had lodged an FIR against him in Jodhpur recently. The court allowed the plea.
Earlier, the court had stayed the arrest of Nandy over alleged anti-Dalit remarks at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF) in 2013 but had made clear that he has no license to make such comments.
It had issued notices and sought response of the Centre and the Rajasthan Government on a petition filed by Nandy seeking quashing of the FIR lodged against him for making the alleged statements at the literary festival.
The bench had also issued notices to the Governments of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Bihar and had sought their responses as FIRs, in connection with his statement, have been lodged against him in Raipur, Nasik and Patna respectively.
During a panel discussion at the Jaipur meet, Nandy had allegedly said that people belonging to OBCs and SCs/STs were more corrupt.
Later, a case was registered against him under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Jaipur.
Nandy, apprehending his arrest for the statements made by him, had moved the apex court for quashing of the FIRs against him.
