Case against RJD Spokesperson Priyanka Bharti for tearing Manusmriti pages will not be dismissed

Allahabad High Court makes its stance clear

Prayagraj (UP) – The Allahabad High Court has refused to quash the case filed against Rashtriya Janata Dal (RJD) Spokesperson Priyanka Bharti for tearing pages of the Manusmriti during a televised debate. The Court has declared the offense as cognizable. Following the registration of the case against her in Aligarh, Priyanka Bharti had filed a petition seeking its dismissal.

The High Court stated, “We have found that during a live debate on two news channels, ‘India TV’ and ‘TV9 Bharatvarsh,’ the petitioner committed the act of tearing pages from the Manusmriti, a holy book of a particular religion. This act was nothing but prima facie, reflection of a malicious and deliberate intention of the petitioner and is an act done without any lawful excuse or without any just cause. The petitioner is an educated and high-ranking individual who participated in the debate as a Spokesperson of a political party. We cannot overlook these facts. Under such circumstances, it is not believable that this act was committed ignorantly. In this case, a political party Spokesperson tearing pages of a holy book during a live broadcast clearly indicates that a cognizable offense has been committed.”

The Allahabad High Court refuses to quash FIR against Rashtriya Janata Dal's (RJD) Priyanka Bharti for tearing Manusmriti pages.

Disrespecting Manusmriti is done these days to gain momentary fame, but how many of these offenders have actually studied Manusmriti, is worth… pic.twitter.com/kT3VzJfaxK

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) March 7, 2025

On 28thDecember, 2024, Bharat Tiwari, the Organizational Minister of the ‘Rashtriya Swarn Parishad,’ lodged a complaint against Priyanka Bharti in Aligarh, leading to the registration of the case. Bharat Tiwari stated that Priyanka Bharti’s actions could spread social hatred in the country. He also accused ‘India TV’ owner Rajat Sharma and ‘TV9’ owner Varun Das of promoting Priyanka Bharti’s actions for television rating points (TRP). He alleged that their actions hurt his religious sentiments.

Editorial Perspectives

Tearing or burning the Manusmriti has increasingly become a means of gaining cheap popularity. The question of how many of those engaging in such acts have really studied the Manusmriti in depth remains a subject of research.