The Allahabad High Court has asked the Uttar Pradesh government to apprise it by July 20 of its actions on a purported video of former Kanpur medical college principal making remarks against Tablighi Jamaat members and Muslims.
A bench of Chief Justice Govind Mathur and Justice SD Singh gave the direction on a plea by New Delhi-based civil society Indian Muslim for Progress and Reforms (IMPAR), seeking action against former principal Arti Lalchandani of Ganesh Shankar Vidyarthi Memorial Medical College, Kanpur.
The bench asked the government to submit its action-taken-report to the court by the next date of hearing on July 20.
Dr Lalchandani had landed in controversy after a video clip had gone viral early last month in which she was purportedly heard making anti-Muslim remarks. After the controversy, she was transferred to Directorate General of Medical Education in Lucknow.
The IMPAR in its petition has alleged that in the video, Dr Lalchandani spoke against Muslims which is misconduct on part of a government servant and a doctor.
"She is the principal of a medical college and a senior government servant and her views may affect doctors and medical professionals working under her. Making such communal remarks is clear misconduct on her part but the state government is avoiding taking action against her," said the petition. It also sought the court's direction to the state government to take disciplinary action against her.
The state government's standing counsel, however, requested the court to grant him some time to apprise the court of the action taken against her.
In her remarks caught on camera, Dr Lalchandani was heard dubbing Muslims, being treated in one of the hospitals for COVID-19, as "terrorists who deserve to be put in jail".
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