Jaipur Literature Festival organiser Sanjoy Roy's arrest stayed over Ashis Nandy's comment on corruption among Dalits

Jaipur: Jaipur Literature Festival organiser Sanjoy Roy's arrest over the alleged castetist remarks by sociologist Ashis Nandy has been stayed by the Rajasthan High Court. An FIR was filed against Mr Roy and Mr Nandy last week, charging them with criminal Intimidation and for hurting sentiments of the Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe community.

Mr Roy along with other organisers of the festival had signed an undertaking yesterday not to leave the city till police investigations in this case are complete. The Rajasthan High Court today said that Mr Roy can leave Jaipur and the police cannot arrest him without a week's notice.

The Jaipur police, meanwhile, has summoned Mr Nandy to the city for questioning "at the earliest". A city police personnel has been sent to Delhi to serve the summons in person to Mr Nandy.

Rajpal Meena, Chairperson of the SC/ST Rajasthan Manch, who had filed a complaint against Mr Nandy on Saturday met with the police and recorded his statement today.

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Yesterday Mr Roy told NDTV that the CD of Mr Nandy's session at the Jaipur Literature Festival in which he had made the comments that stirred a controversy has been given to the police for investigation.

Last week, in a panel discussion at the festival, Mr Nandy said, "Most corrupt people come from Other Backward Classes, Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes."

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Mr Nandy soon issued a clarification saying he was trying to make the point that corruption among Dalits was noticeable, while that of the rich was not.

Mr Nandy told NDTV yesterday that he may have chosen the wrong words but that the thrust of his argument was not wrong. He asserted that says his comments were actually "pro-Dalit and were taken out of context".