The Punjab and Haryana high court on 30th April imposed a fine of Rs. 20 lakh on music director and singer Vishal Dadlani and political activist Tehseen Poonawala (Rs. 10 lakh each) for their online remarks against Jain monk Tarun Sagar. The high court observed that the duo played mischief to gain publicity, with out having much to their credit. The court, however, quashed the FIRs registered against Vishal and Tehseen by the Ambala police in 2016 in the same case.
The duo had posted social messages to decry the Haryana government’s action in inviting the Jain monk to the Haryana state legislative assembly to address a political forum. A case under sections 295-A, 153-A and 509 IPC for hurting religious sentiments and related charges under the Information Technology Act was registered in August 2016 at the Ambala cantonment police station in Haryana.