Orissa High Court lawyer Sandipan Mishra on Friday served a legal notice to rationalist Pratap Kumar Rath for allegedly hurting religious sentiments in connection with the solar eclipse of October 25.
In the notice, Rath has been asked to reply as to why legal action shouldn’t be taken against him.
If Rath doesn’t reply to the notice, a case would be filed against him at the High Court under Sections 295A (Deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage reliÂgious feelings of any class by insulting its religion or reliÂgious beliefs) and 298 (Uttering, words, etc., with deliberate intent to wound the religious feelings of any person) of the IPC, said Mishra.
Rathwas asked to furnish his reply within seven days.
Notably, Rath was seen consuming chicken biryani at a feast organised by a group of rationalists at Press Chhak in Bhubaneswar on October 25 defying the Hindu tradition of not having cooked food on the day of solar eclipse.He termed the practice of not consuming food on a solar eclipse day as “superstitious and baseless”.
While participating in debates on local news channels, Rath hurt religious sentiments with his objectionable statements against the solar eclipse-related traditions, the lawyer said.
Rath’s act has drawn sharp criticism from various religious organisations.