on Aug 16, 2021)NEW DELHI: Manipur government on Sunday filed an affidavit in the Supreme Court saying activist Leichombam Erendro, who was ordered to be released within six hours by the apex court on July 19, deserves no compensation as he faced no custodial violence during detention and accused him of habitually posting insulting comments on social media to incite trouble.In the late evening affidavit, the N Biren Singh government said it withdrew the May 17 order invoking National Security Act against Erendro on July 19, the day a bench of Justices D Y Chandrachud and M R Shah gave the state just six hours to release the activist detained since May 13 for a social media post on the inefficacy of cow dung and urine against coronavirus after state BJP president Prof Tikendra Singh succumbed to Covid.The BJP government said neither the petitioner L Raghumani Singh nor Erendro have sought compensation in their petition filed before the SC. “The detenu was not subjected to any kind of custodial torture or violence. Hence, there exists no ground for payment of compensation for the two month detention of Erendro.”
Describing Erendro as an influential young social activist, the state narrated the series of social media posts by him since 2018 which had the potential to cause unrest among the general public. It referred to the 2018 video posted by Erendro on social media displaying he and his associates throwing eggs at the posters of PM Narendra Modi and the CM over the appointment of Manipur University vice-chancellor, which had become a ground for agitation in the state.Apart from several objectionable social media posts, the Manipur government through counsel P Ramesh Kumar said that a case of cheating and forgery has been registered against the social media activist on the complaint of a woman entrepreneur. Justifying the May 13 arrest of Erendro for the allegedly offensive social media post immediately after the death of state BJP president, the Manipur government said, “His statement of May 13 was in utter disregard of the sentiments of a certain section of the people. His statement was disrespectful, insulting, provoking and had the potential to incite hatred and chaos, thereby disturbing public tranquility and was in no way an attempt to quell misinformation regarding treatment of Covid-19 for the benefit of the public as was stated by the petitioner.””Erendro’s arrest at that point of time was very essential to prevent him from indulging in posting further hatred and insulting comments on social media abusing his position as a social media and political activist,” the state said. The issue relating to compensation will be taken up by a bench of Justices Chandrachud and Shah on Monday.The SC had ordered release of Erendro on July 19 on furnishing a personal bond and said in its order, “having prima facie considered the contents of the petition, we are of the view that the continued detention of the petitioner would amount to a violation of the right to life and personal liberty under Article 21 of the Constitution. We accordingly direct that the petitioner shall be released forthwith as and by way of an interim direction of this Court, unless he is required to be in custody in any other case, subject to further orders, subject to his filing a personal release bond in the amount of Rs 1000.”
Source: Economic Times
