New Delhi: Indore bench of Madhya Pradesh high court on Thursday rejected the bail application of comedian Munawar Faruqui and co-accused Nalin Yadav who were arrested for allegedly insulting Hindu religious beliefs during a New Year show in Indore.

Munawar Faruqui, a stand-up comedian from Gujarat’s Junagadh, was arrested on January 1 for his performance at a cafe in the popular 56 Dukan locality of Indore. The others arrested include Indore-based Prakhar Vyas, Priyam Vyas, Nalin Yadav, and event coordinator Edwin Anthony.

The case was filed based on a complaint by Eklavya Gaur, convenor of the Hind Rakshak Sangathan and son of BJP MLA Malini Gaur.

Hind Rakashak Sangathan convenor Eklavya Gaur, son of BJP MLA Malini Gaur filed the complaint to the police. Lawyer Dinesh Pandey represented Eklavya Gaur in the court.

“Munawar Faruqui is a serial offender. We got the information about a show of Faruqui in Indore. We reached there and saw that they were making fun of Hindu Gods and Goddesses. We also recorded a video. We stopped the show and asked people to leave the show. They did not take permission for the show. They also violated social distancing rules,” Gaur said while talking to media.

“We took them to the police station and an FIR was registered against the accused under the relevant section of the law,” he added.

“The arrested men have been booked under IPC sections 188, 269, 34 and 295A for organising the event sans permission, flouting COVID-19 safety norms, and hurting religious sentiments,” he added.