The Punjab and Haryana high court on September 15 granted singer-actor Gurdas Maan anticipatory bail in a case of hurting religious sentiments. While granting bail, Justice Avneesh Jhingan said that custody was not required as nothing needed to be recovered from Gurdas Maan. A Jalandhar court had earlier dismissed Maan’s plea for the same.
The singer-actor was booked under section 295A (deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings) of the Indian Penal Code at Nakodar city police station in Jalandhar on August 26. During a religious fair at Nakodar on August 24, Maan had described Ladi Shah of Dera Baba Murad Shah as a descendant of the third Sikh master, Guru Amar Das. When a social media campaign started against his statement, Maan put out a video, offering an apology for his statement. The HC said that the issue as to whether words used by the petitioner while performing on stage were deliberate/malicious so as to invoke section 295A would be subject to investigation.