NEW DELHI: A Mumbai court on Tuesday granted anticipatory bail to Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Azmi in the Aurangzeb remarks case.
The court directed him to appear before the investigating officer on March 12, 13, and 15 between 11am and 1pm while also instructing him not to tamper with the evidence.
He had filed an anticipatory bail plea in the Mumbai sessions court to prevent his arrest over his controversial statement regarding Aurangzeb.
Also read: Aurangzeb remark row: SP MLA Abu Azmi writes to Maharashtra assembly speaker seeking revocation of suspension
Azmi’s controversial statement about Aurangzeb in the Legislative Assembly premises faced opposition from leaders across parties. Following his remarks, Mumbai Police registered a case under multiple IPC sections. Azmi later accused the media of misrepresenting his statement and urged Assembly Speaker Rahul Narwekar to revoke his suspension.
“On March 3, media representatives followed me while leaving the hall. Outside the hall, they asked me the question that the Chief Minister of Assam compared Rahul Gandhi to Aurangzeb. In this context, I quoted Meena Bhargava’s article and said he helped the temples,” Azmi had clarified.
“No statement has been made about Chhatrapati Sambhaji Maharaj. I showed respect for them. My image has been tarnished by attributing to me words that I didn’t speak,” he said.