Chhattisgarh Christian Forum chief denied bail again as court cites seriousness of charges

The Court of the 2nd Additional Sessions Judge in Raipur rejected the bail plea of Arun Pannalal, president of the Chhattisgarh Christian Forum, on Monday, August 24, the second time a court had denied him bail since his arrest over an alleged Facebook comment about the Hindu god Shiva.

Pannalal, 76, has been in judicial custody since his arrest in the first week of August, after Civil Lines police in Raipur received a complaint from Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Amit Chimnani accusing him of posting an objectionable comment about Shiva, one of the principal deities of Hinduism, and the Shivling, Hindus worship as a symbol of Shiva. It concerned a comment Pannalal allegedly wrote on a Facebook post by Hansraj Goyal, and included screenshots and URLs of the post as evidence.

Police registered the case as Crime No. 415/2026 at Civil Lines police station, under Sections 196, 299 and 353(2) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, India’s criminal code, and Section 67 of the Information Technology Act, which concerns obscene electronic content. The sections cover promoting communal enmity, hurting religious sentiments, and inciting one religious group against another. Central DCP Tarkeshwar Patel said the case followed a complaint that the post had hurt religious sentiments, and that the cyber cell was assisting the investigation. Reportedly, investigators later seized Pannalal’s mobile phone and recorded the comment found on it.

Bajrang Dal workers, members of a Hindu nationalist group, gathered outside Pannalal’s house the night of the arrest, and police deployed extra personnel in the area. He was produced before a magistrate on August 8 and remanded to 14 days of judicial custody. His counsel’s first formal bail application was rejected by the trial court on August 19. A fresh application before the Sessions Court was the one rejected on August 24.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Vishnu Deo Sai commented publicly on the case soon after the arrest, saying Shiva and the Shivling are “revered in our Sanatan Dharma,” a Sanskrit phrase meaning eternal law. Though the phrase appears in classical Hindu texts, its use as a name for Hinduism as a whole dates to late 19th century Hindu revivalist movements, and has become an increasingly prominent term in Hindu nationalist politics in recent years. Sai’s remarks came before any court had examined the allegations against Pannalal.

In court, complainant Amit Chimnani was represented by advocate Brijesh Nath Pandey, also provincial coordinator of the BJP’s legal wing, the Vidhi Prakoshth, which had separately said objectionable remarks about deities could affect social harmony. Additional Public Prosecutor Kailash Agase called the alleged offence serious and said bail could incite religious frenzy. The court’s order also cited the case’s seriousness, and an incomplete investigation, as grounds for refusing bail.

Separately, a group of Indian civil society activists, among them senior journalist John Dayal and rights activist Fr Cedric Prakash, issued a statement on August 9 describing the arrest as an attempt to silence a voice for minority rights. It said Pannalal has long criticised anti-conversion legislation in Chhattisgarh, and argued that “governing a state is not the same as running a vendetta.” It demanded his immediate release, and was signed by more than a dozen activists and rights organisations.