Supreme Court stays arrest of Ashis Nandy

The Supreme Court today stayed the arrest of eminent scholar and sociologist Ashis Nandy for making remarks alleged to be anti-Dalit at the Jaipur Literature Festival (JLF).

Though the bench stayed his arrest, it said "he can't continue making statements like this. Whatever may be your intent you can't go on making statements."

"Tell your client he has no license to make such comments," the bench told senior advocate Aman Lekhi who was appearing for 76-year-old Nandy.

The apex court issued notices and sought response of the Centre and the Rajasthan Government on a petition filed by Nandy seeking quashing of the FIR lodged against him for making the alleged statements at a literary festival.

"In the meantime, the petitioner (Nandy) will not be arrested in FIR filed in connection with the statement made by him at the JLF, on January 26," a bench headed by Chief Justice Altamas Kabir said.

The bench also issued notices to the Governments of Chhattisgarh, Maharashtra and Bihar and sought their response within four weeks as FIRs, in connection with his statement, have been lodged against him in Raipur, Nasik and Patna respectively.

The bench also comprising justices A R Dave and Vikramajit Sen told Nandy that statements "are to be made in a responsible manner".

"Why do you say something which you don't want to intend," the court said when Lekhi was trying to impress upon the bench that a person cannot be punished for expressing an idea.