HC relief for MP professor who predicted NDA's win

Indore, June 5 (IANS) The Indore Bench of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on Wednesday stayed the suspension of Professor Rajeshwar Shastri or Raju Musalgaonkar, head of the jyotirvigyan (astrological science) department at Ujjain's Vikram University, till the next hearing.

Shastri was suspended for violating the election model code of conduct after he wrote a Facebook post predicting 300 plus seats for the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) in the just concluded Lok Sabha elections. 

Though he removed the post after it gained public attention, the Congress took the matter to the Election Commission (EC) seeking action against Shastri.

While staying the suspension, the vacation bench of Justice Vivek Rusia also issued notices to the Chief Secretary of the Madhya Pradesh Higher Education Department, the Chief Election Officer of MP, the District Election Officer and the Vikram University Vice-Chancellor asking them to reply within four weeks. 

Interestingly, days after he was suspended, Shastri in another Facebook post claimed the Narendra Modi government would set new records of success in its second term.