High Court quashes FIR against PhD holder for post on university

The Madras HC has quashed an First Information Report registered against a PhD holder for posting certain remarks on social media about the Manonmaniam Sundaranar University (MSU) in Tirunelveli district, after he gave an undertaking that he will be careful & measured while using social media.

The petitioner, J Mohammed Khan who had completed PhD at MSU had posted about the irregularities in the university. Based on the complaint lodged by the registrar of the university, a case was registered against him by the Pettai police station in 2018. The petitioner moved the HC Madurai bench seeking to quash the First Information Report registered against him.

Hearing the plea, justice G R Swaminathan observed that the relationship between the petitioner & the university wasn't all that smooth. The petitioner was an active user of social media & it was a remark which had triggered the university to lodge a complaint against him.

The judge observed that a perusal of the First Information Report reveals that the petitioner had condemned the management of the university in caustic language. The judge noted that the petitioner who appeared before the court gave a clarification.

The judge also took cognizance of the fact that the petitioner has got a bedridden dependent mother & the petitioner is eking his livelihood as parotta master. The petitioner underwent his college education on a part time basis & he was a full time research scholar.

“A person coming from such a disadvantaged section ought not be entangled in a criminal prosecution merely because he made some offending posting in social media,” observed the judge.

Since the petitioner undertakes that he will be careful & measured in his conduct while using social media, the judge quashed the First Information Report which was registered against him.

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