Daijiworld Media Network - Mangaluru (SP)

Mangaluru, Dec 30: Relating to information that an order restricting the entry of Dr Zakir Naik, a propagator of Islam, into the city had been issued, the state high court orally instructed the state government to provide concrete information on Thursday December 31.

The vacation division bench of the high court comprising Justice B Manohar and Justice B Veerappa, which took up public interest litigation filed by 21 persons including advocate, N P Amruthesh, seeking to bar entry of Dr Zakir into the city, passed this order on Tuesday December 29.

The bench, during the hearing, said that it has come to know from newspapers that the police commissioner had banned Dr Zakir from entering the city till January 7. Advocate, Amruthesh, said that there is no official order restricting Dr Zakir's movement. He suggested to the court that the government can furnish to the court if there is any official order banning Dr Zakir's entry, to which the bench agreed, and asked the public prosecutor to furnish the official order on Thursday.

At the same time, speaking in the city on Tuesday, city commissioner Murugan said that in exercise of his powers as the magistrate of this commissionerate, he had banned entry of Dr Zakir Naik into the city. He added that the concerned are free, as per legal provisions, to appeal against this order. Commenting about the derogatory post on Facebook on him, Murugan said that he does not believe in settling personal scores, adding that law will take its own course.