'Best place where you will be safe is jail': Supreme Court denies relief from arrest to journalist Abhijit Iyer-Mitra

The Supreme Court on Thursday came down heavily on commentator-journalist Abhijit Iyer-Mitra who was last month arrested for his alleged derogatory remarks about the state of Odisha and the Sun Temple.

Dismissing his petition for bail, a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said, "You are inciting religious feelings of people of this country."

The top court commented that the best place where he will be safe is in jail.

Iyer-Mitra was arrested in Delhi on September 20 and was granted bail by a local court in a few hours. He was arrested for posting a satirical video about the Sun Temple.

Iyer-Mitra had come to Odisha on September 15, apparently at the invitation of former MP Baijayant Panda. After touring Puri, Konark and Chilika, he allegedly posted derogatory remarks on social media insulting the state, its culture and tradition and the lawmakers. In a video uploaded on social media, Mitra is seen criticising the 13th Century temple. Apart from his video on Sun Temple, Mitra also uploaded videos of himself flying around the Sun Temple and the Jagannath Temple in Puri on social media.

Odisha 9: my special message to you from the Konark temple expressing my utter disgust at this monumental conspiracy against the Hindu Civilisation pic.twitter.com/wJeqZPHRDk

— Abhijit Iyer-Mitra (@Iyervval) September 16, 2018

He was arrested by Odisha Police, with help of Delhi Police, on September 20 on the charge of outraging religious sentiments of the people.

A Delhi court later granted him bail on a bond of Rs 1 lakh and directed him to join the investigation at Konark police station.

According to his profile on ORF: “Iyer is a senior fellow at the Institute of Peace and Conflict Studies. He used to coordinate the National Security Programme at ORF. Abhijit has been a visiting fellow at Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, and the Stimson centre in Washington DC. Abhijit is a defence economist by training. He has written for national and international dailies and has several academic publications and books.”

Iyer’s statements were discussed in Odisha State assembly with ruling party members Samir Ranjan Dash and Byamokesh Ray raked up the issue related to the alleged derogatory statement Abhijit Iyer-Mitra on the Sun Temple at Konark and Lord Jagannath.

Legislators of ruling BJD and opposition Congress had demanded action against Abhijit Iyer Mitra for making ‘derogatory remarks on the Sun Temple in Konark.

The ruling party members staged a dharna in the well of the House and later near Mahatma Gandhi statue on the assembly premises.

(With PTI inputs)