The Madhya Pradesh High Court has directed state minister Lakhan Ghanghoria to upload on YouTube video clippings of his public rallies in which he apologised for a statement made earlier against an court ruling.
A division bench of Acting Chief Justice RS Jha and Justice VK Shukla issued the directive on Thursday in furtherance of an earlier order asking Ghanghoria, state minister for Social Justice, Disabled and Scheduled Caste Welfare, to publicly apologise.
Ghanghoria had made some remarks against a high court order to remove encroachments in hilly areas of Jabalpur, and these went viral on social media.
The petitioners, on whose plea the high court had ordered removal of these encroachments, brought Ghanghoria's statement to the notice of the court.
Since the petitioners filed an application based on the YouTube video, the court directed the minister to upload the apology on YouTube itself, Ghanghoria's counsel Jubin Prasad told PTI on Friday.
The transcript, pen drive and additional material relating to the public meetings concerned have been submitted to the high court, he added.
The process to upload video clippings, of public meetings in which the minister apologised, on YouTube was underway, Prasad added.
In its order, the court said, "We do not propose to take any action against him (minister) at this stage. We keep the application for intervention against the minister, so that in case any occasion arises during the pendency of these petitions in future, appropriate proceedings in the same can be taken up, if so required."
Ghanghoria filed an affidavit tendering unconditional apology and gave an undertaking to indemnify the damage he has done by going before the public and clarifying his position, the minister's counsel said.
The minister has undertaken not to repeat any such acts in future or to create any hindrance in implementation of the directions of the court, Prasad said.
The next hearing of the case has been fixed for November 9.
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