Petition calls for withdrawal of FIRs against Edamaruku

An online petition is seeking the withdrawal of FIRs filed against founder president of Rationalist International Sanal Edamaruku.

FIRs were filed against Edamaruku by three Christian groups after he allegedly hurt the religious sentiments of Catholics in Mumbai.

Edamaruku in March this year had claimed that water dripping from a statue of Christ in Mumbai was not God's work but a result of bad plumbing. He also remarked that the Church was using the miracle for making profit.

The online petition by the British Rationalist Association has gathered signatures of over 10,000 people.

Edamaruku stands accused of "deliberately hurting religious feelings and attempting malicious acts intended to outrage the religious sentiments of any class or community", an offence under Section 295(a) of the Indian Penal Code.

"Edamaruku would be happy to answer his accusers in court, confident that the Indian justice system will vindicate him. However the threat of peremptory imprisonment for an undefined period is a very serious one," states the petition.

It called on the Catholic authorities in Mumbai, particularly the Archbishop and Auxiliary Bishop of Mumbai, to clarify their Church's position through legal channels and use their influence with local Catholics to encourage them to publicly withdraw their complaints.

"Finally we call on the government of India, the world's largest democracy, to defend free speech by making it clear that their laws are not to be used to suppress scientific knowledge and reasonable criticism of religious mysticism," it said.

Meanwhile, the Archdiocese of Bombay issued a clarification in which it said the Archbishop Cardinal Oswald Gracias was in no way connected with the filing of the FIR and it was filed by a group of individuals who have felt offended by certain derogative statements made against the Church.

The statement clarified that the Catholic Church has at no time claimed that what happened in Irla was a miracle. "In such cases the Church is always cautious. Any extraordinary event is carefully studied, the advise of experts sought and established norms are strictly observed before pronouncing a judgment on any such event."

Cardinal Gracias, however, appealed to Edamaruku to issue an apology for having hurt the sentiments of people and also appealed to those who filed the FIR to accept his apology and withdraw the FIR.

Formal complaints about Edamaruku were made to the Mumbai police by three local Catholic groups, the Catholic Secular Forum, the Association of Concerned Catholics and the Maharashtra Christian Youth Forum.

"The CSF is all freedom of expression, but not for the right to ridicule, abuse, mock or poke fun at any faith or the clergy and followers of any religion. The Constitution of India guarantees the freedom of faith – to preach, practice and propagate one's religion. And it does not give any citizen the right to insult the faith of another," says CSF General Secretary Joseph Dias.

"Finally, we have not been taking him on, simply because we believe in – praying for the persecutors, forgiving those who hurt us… But there must be rule of law. And the law, in the interest of social order and communal harmony does not allow such persons unlimited freedom to abuse or ridicule. The CSF will therefore let the law take its course," Dias opined.