Big controversy erupts on social media after the Ranchi court’s order on Richa Bharti

A big controversy has erupted on social media after the court of judicial magistrate Manish Kumar Singh ordered a 19-year old girl, Richa Bharti to distribute five copies of the Quran to government-owned educational institutions. It also asked the teenage girl to donate a copy of the holy Islamic book to complainant Mansur Khalifa, a member of Sadar Anjuman Committee. Richa’s lawyer Ramparvesh Singh spoke about the development and said, “Directing her to donate the books within a fortnight in presence of police authorities and submit a compliance report, the court granted bail to Richa on the condition that she would furnish two sureties of Rs 7,000 each.” Bharti has also been asked to submit the receipts of distributed copies to the Court within 15 days.

Bharti was pulled up for a Facebook post on Tabrez Ansari, a Muslim youth who succumbed to his injuries after being attacked by a mob in Jharkhand. She was arrested after a member of Sadar Anjuman Committee filed a complaint against her. The 19-year old girl has reportedly expressed unhappiness over the court order and has also said that she would move the High Court challenging the order passed by the lower court. She said, “I have only shared the Facebook post. The person who posted it should have been arrested first. I will appeal against the court order in the high court. Today I have been asked to distribute Quran and tomorrow I may be asked to accept Islam.” It has been reported that several organisations expressed objection after Bharti’s arrest, with some even taking out protest marches.

Several social media users have expressed objection against this court directive. Anand Ranganathan, Consulting Editor & Columnist, Swarajya, tweeted, “SHOCKING. Hindu woman ordered to distribute Quran as a condition for her bail. She refused. BRAVO. Imagine if a Muslim was ordered to distribute Gita as a condition for bail – our media would have cried SANGHI JUDICIARY for a week. I stand with Richa Bharti. And so should YOU.”

Rajya Sabha MP, Subramanian Swamy also spoke about this issue and tweeted, “I have requested my friend and Minister in Jharkhand Govt Shri Saryu Rai to look into it. Ask this brave girl to meet him.”

Advocate Ishkaran Singh Bhandari went on to call the order to distribute copies of Quran, “unconstitutional”. Praising the 19-year old girl on social media, Richa Bharti, Bhandari compared her to Rosa Parks, an African-American woman activist who had refused to give her seat to a white passenger in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, after which she emerged as the epitome of civil rights. He tweeted, “One Courageous Girl from Ranchi Ms. Richa Bharti has by refusing to obey clearly unconstitutional order to distribute Quran, exposes the entire system. Police which arrested her for FB comment & Magistrate who gave the order. HC should take action on it.”

In another tweet, he said, “Courage can be found in adverse Situations anywhere, there was Rosa Parks in USA & then there is Ms Richa Bharti in Ranchi.”