Govinda granted transit bail by Bombay HC in two decade old defamation case

Mumbai: Actor Govinda today got temporary relief from the Bombay High Court which granted him protection from arrest in a 20-year-old case alleging he had defamed Bihar and Uttar Pradesh in a Hindi movie song.

Justice Sadhana Jadhav granted transit bail to Govinda on surety of Rs 25,000 for a period of four weeks and asked him to appear before the Jharkhand court which has summoned him on March 6 in the case filed against him.

The high court ruled that in the event of Govinda's arrest he would have to furnish a surety of Rs 25000.

In 1997, a lawyer from Pakur district of Jharkhand (formerly Bihar) had filed a criminal case against Govinda for defaming Bihar and Uttar Pradesh over lyrics of the song 'Ek chumma tu mujhko udhar de de' in film ‘Chhote Sarkar’.

The actor had moved the Bombay High Court recently seeking anticipatory bail as he had received communication from the Jharkhand court asking him to appear before it on March 6.

Govinda's lawyer today argued before the high court that since the song had been picturised in Mumbai, the high court in Mumbai had the jurisdiction in the matter and therefore it could grant him protection from arrest in this case.

He argued that the personal liberty and freedom of the actor was at stake because the case was pending in a magistrate's court at Pakur in Jharkhand.

The high court gave Govinda the temporary relief by granting a transit remand. However, the actor would have to appear before the Jharkhand court on the next date of hearing of the case and seek a regular bail there.