Ranchi Court directs woman arrested for objectionable Facebook post to distribute copies of the Quran

A Ranchi-based woman has been directed to distribute copies of the Quran as a condition for bail after being arrested for hurting religious sentiments through a Facebook post.

On July 12, Richa Bharti was reportedly pulled up for a Facebook post on Tabrez Ansari, a Muslim youth who succumbed to his injuries after being attacked by a mob in Jharkhand last month. After the Sadar Anjuman Committee at Pithauriya near Ranchi filed a police complaint against Bharti, she was arrested for hurting religious sentiments.

She was subsequently granted bail by a Ranchi court. However, Judicial Magistrate Manish Singh ordered her to give a copy of the Quran to complainant Mansur Khalifa, a member of the Sadar Anjuman Committee. She was also directed to distribute five other copies of the Quran to schools and colleges.

As another condition for bail, Bharti was asked to deposit two sureties of Rs.7,000 each.

The FIR filed after Khalifa’s complaint states that Richa Bharti’s posts on Facebook and WhatsApp were directed against a particular religion that could have disturbed the communal harmony of the society.