Imtiaz Jaleel seeks acquittal in atrocity case

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

AIMIM state president and former MP Imtiaz Jaleel has filed an application seeking to be exonerated from a case registered under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The matter was adjourned for further hearing on February 21, after the complainant requested that no order be passed without considering their statement.

The FIR against Imtiaz Jaleel was lodged in Begumpura and Kranti Chowk police stations in August under the Atrocities Act. On Tuesday, the case was heard before a special judge for MPs and MLAs, and additional sessions judge R D Patil. Imtiaz personally argued his case, requesting relief from the charges.

During his approximately 20-minute submission, Imtiaz Jaleel claimed that the FIR was part of a conspiracy against him. He explained that at a press conference organised to highlight alleged land irregularities involving a minister and his son, he had only read a government document. He emphasised that there was no intention to offend any community, but that the FIR had been lodged to silence him.

Imtiaz Jaleel cited precedents, including Manjadevi vs Omkardeep Ahluwalia and cases from Karnataka, and referred to letters sent by the Central Government to the State Social Welfare Ministry regarding prohibited terms. He also drew attention to the fact that the complaints unnecessarily highlighted his Muslim identity. Although two media channels suggested that a specific word was repeatedly used during his press conference, Jaleel clarified that he had used the term only once, quoting directly from the government document.