On state plea, Ranchi court drops Quran donation as bail condition

But in its reviewed order Wednesday, the court said: “The IO (investigating officer) has prayed that the condition of donating Holy Quran by petitioner may be done away with because of difficulties in implementation. The state has prayed for modification of the said bail order and modifying the condition to that extent. In view of the aforesaid submissions, the court modifies its earlier order by dropping the additional condition of distribution of copies of the Holy Quran by petitioner.”

The court also allowed her regular bail by furnishing bail bond of Rs 7,000 and two sureties of like amount each.

Incidentally, the order had triggered protests and the Ranchi Bar Association had even called for a boycott of the concerned court.

According to court documents, a complaint was lodged at the Pithoria police station on July 12 stating that Richa Bharti had posted messages on social media against “Islam”. “It has adversely affected the feeling of the community which could lead to a communal controversy,” said the police complaint which was signed by 57 people.

Subsequently, an FIR was registered under Section 153 A (promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion) and Section 295 A (deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings) of the IPC.