‘Karauli Shankar’ remarks: YouTuber gets shield from arrest till July 14

Prayagraj: The Allahabad high court has extended interim protection from arrest till July 14 to YouTuber Gautam Khattar, who faces an FIR over alleged derogatory remarks against ‘Sri Karauli Shankar Mahadev Baba’, also known as ‘Karauli Sarkar’.

A bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Tarun Saxena gave two weeks to the state counsel and the informant’s counsel to file counter affidavits. The court directed that the petitioner shall not be arrested until July 14, the next date of listing.

A Kanpur resident, Priyanka Dwivedi, had lodged an FIR against Khattar for acting as a self-styled founder of the 'Sanatan Mahasangh', and using his social media accounts to spread provocative and hateful messages.

Khattar allegedly uploaded a video of the seer and made indecent remarks intended to tarnish his image and hurt the religious sentiments of his followers.

During the hearing, the petitioner’s counsel argued that the alleged speech only said no one should pose as God. He contended that this was merely an expression of opinion and did not constitute an offence under any law.

Earlier, on May 11, the court had given the state govt counsel a week to seek instructions and directed that the petitioner shall not be arrested. Through its May 19 order, the court has now extended the interim relief till July 14.