‘No coercive action against Marandi’

RANCHI: The Jharkhand high court on Monday ordered no-coercive action against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) state president Babulal Marandi in connection with a first information report (FIR) registered against him at Simdega police station for allegedly giving “defamatory statements” against the former chief minister Hemant Soren and his family, people close to the matter said.

A high court advocate familiar with the development said the FIR was registered on August 25, 2023.

“JMM workers had filed the FIR against. Similar FIRs were lodged at other five police stations also in Ramgarh, Lohardaga, Ranchi, Madhupur, and Sahibganj. Marandi Ji had filed a petition to quash the FIR. On which, the court directed for no-coercive action and issued notice to the informant,” the advocate said. Another advocate familiar with the case said a JMM worker in his complaint had stated that in a speech published on a Facebook page on August 16, Marandi used derogatory remarks against the Soren family “for his political benefits and this has hurt his as well as tribals’ sentiments”.

“Following his complaint, an FIR was registered under sections 500 (defamation), 505 (statements conducing to public mischief), and 504(2) (intentional insult) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). The speech was delivered during BJP’s Sankalp Yatra. Marandi attacked the father-son duo and the JMMCongress-RJD government in the state. He said the state government ‘promoted nothing but loot and corruption’. The BJP state president commenced the yatra on August 17 from CM’s constituency of Barhait. The Yatra continued till October 10 in different phases,” the advocate said.