An area court docket in West Bengal has acquitted Ambikesh Mahapatra, a chemistry professor at Jadavpur College in Kolkata, practically 11 years after he was arrested for forwarding allegedly derogatory cartoon about chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
“The discharge petition by the accused petitioner Ambikesh Mahapatra is allowed,” mentioned the order of the extra session choose court docket on Thursday.
On April 12, 2012, a case was registered towards Mahapatra on the East Jadavpur police station after he forwarded an e-mail allegedly containing derogatory cartoons of Trinamool Congress chief Banerjee and get together chief Mukul Roy, days after Roy was made the railways minister.
“He stands discharged from case quantity C1810 of 2016 referring to Purba Jadavpur police station case no 50 dated 12.04.2012. The bail bonds are discharged accordingly,” the court docket order mentioned.
Mahapatra was charged underneath Part 66A of the Data Know-how Act by the state authorities and sections of the Indian Penal Code. In 2015, the Supreme Courtroom struck down Part 66A, citing it as unconstitutional.
“It’s a large aid and an ethical victory after an extended battle. However what about those that assaulted me? Will they not be arrested?” Mahapatra informed reporters after the court docket order.
He had earlier alleged that he was crushed up by “goons-backed by the ruling TMC”. Although Mahapatra was launched on bail hours after his arrest, the police motion triggered a political uproar within the japanese state.
Calling the court docket order “a victory for democracy”, Bengal Bharatiya Janata Get together (BJP) chief Rahul Sinha mentioned: “Mamata Banerjee ought to apologize publicly. It’s a slap on the federal government and it ought to take classes.”
TMC Rajya Sabha member Santanu Sen, hit again, saying: “We now have nothing to say towards the order or the court docket as a result of we respect the judiciary. However those that are saying that democracy is being stifled ought to first examine what is going on in Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh the place the TMC spokesperson was arrested thrice in a month and a journalist was stripped in a police station.”
In 2016, Mahapatra unsuccessfully contested the state meeting elections from Behala Purbo constituency as an impartial candidate.