Madhya Pradesh HC seeks state’s reply on plea challenging police objection to university webinar

The Madhya Pradesh High Court on Thursday told the state government to file its response to a petition challenging a letter from the police to a university in Sagar district within three weeks. The letter had objected to the speakers at an international webinar in July.

Among the speakers at the virtual event were poet and scientist Gauhar Raza, Delhi University professor Apoorvanand, Lucknow University professor Nadeem Hasnain, IIIT-Hyderabad Professor Harjinder Singh, GLA University, Mathura, Professor Panchanan Mohanty.

In the letter dated July 29, the Superintendent of Police of the Sagar district had warned that a case could be filed if the virtual event caused a law and order problem.

The webinar had been planned by the Department of Anthropology of Dr Harisingh Gour Vishwavidyalaya, Sagar, in Madhya Pradesh, and the Montclair State University, United States, on July 30 and 31. The topic of discussion was “Cultural and Linguistic Hurdles in the Achievement of Scientific Temper”.

Subsequently, the university in Sagar withdrew from the event. The US-based university organised the webinar on the same date as planned.

Rajesh Gautam, who was to be the convenor of the organising committee of the webinar, then filed a petition in the High Court. He demanded the quashing of the police letter, and a…

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