Academic opinions on legal judgments not religious offence: HC

The Rajasthan high court has dismissed a petition filed by a law student against the inclusion of a question on the Ram Janmabhoomi verdict in a university examination, saying that academic and personal opinions on legal judgments do notamount to religious offences unless driven by malicious intent.

- Dinesh Bothra

Making the observation on Thursday, justice Anoop Kumar Dhand said that questioning or critically analysing judicial decisions is an essential part of legal education and does not violate Section 295A of the Indian Penal Code in the absence of deliberate provocation.

“An academic or personal opinion expressed by a student or teacher or scholar on a legal judgment, even one involving sensitive issues, cannot be equated with any religion attack,” justice Dhand said.

The court further remarked that such expressions, when done constructively and reasonably, constitute a positive exercise in legal reasoning and critical analysis.