New Delhi, August 25 (HS): The Supreme Court on Monday stayed criminal proceedings against political analyst and Centre for the Study of Developing Societies (CSDS) co-director Professor Sanjay Kumar, who is facing two FIRs in Maharashtra over his social media posts on the 2024 assembly elections. A bench headed by Chief Justice B.R. Gavai also issued notice to the Maharashtra government.
On August 17, Kumar had posted on X claiming that voter numbers appeared to have shifted in some constituencies during the Maharashtra polls. Two days later, he retracted the post, admitted to a data error, and issued a public apology. Despite this, two FIRs were filed by Election Commission officials — one in Nashik and another in Nagpur — invoking provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Sections 175, 353(1)(B), 212, 340(1)(2), and 356.
Seeking quashing of the cases, Kumar petitioned the apex court, arguing that the allegations were baseless and amounted to abuse of state power. His plea contended that the FIRs falsely accused him of spreading misinformation and fraud, even though the error was promptly acknowledged and corrected.
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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar
