Jodhpur:- Bollywood film actress Shilpa Shetty has got a big relief from the Rajasthan High Court. A case was registered against Shilpa under SC-ST Act in Kotwali police station of Churu in 2017. This FIR has been canceled by the High Court. There was a hearing regarding the matter in the court of High Court Justice Arun Moga. Justice Monga said in the judgment- ‘Without section and inquiry, FIR cannot be registered under the SC-ST Act. The word ‘Bhangi’ is not a caste nor is it a caste indicator. Rather, it is a slur, which was not said to humiliate anyone, but while addressing oneself.
In the 2013 case, on 22 December 2017, Ashok Panwar of Valmiki Samaj had registered a case against Shilpa Shetty under the SC-ST Act at the Kotwali police station in Churu. He said that during a TV interview in 2013, Shilpa Shetty and Salman Khan had used the word ‘Bhangi’, which hurt the sentiments of the people of Valmiki community. After the case was registered, the investigating officer issued a notice on 18 January 2018.
Know what the lawyer’s arguments are
During the hearing, Shilpa’s lawyer Gopal Sandhu argued that there is no evidence in this FIR which has hurt any social sentiments nor is there any malicious intention. He gave information about the origin of the word ‘Bhangi’ in the court and told that the word ‘Bhangi’ originated from Bhanga in Sanskrit, which apart from belonging to the untouchable caste, also means broken and fragmented.
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This claim was made in the FIR
According to Oxford Hindi to English Dictionary, people who smoke cannabis are also called ‘Bhangi’. It was claimed in the FIR that this word created unrest in the society, whereas there was no evidence of anything like this happening due to the word spoken in an interview three years ago. After listening to the arguments of the parties and the opposition, High Court Justice Arun Kumar Monga rejected the FIR registered in the Kotwali police station of Churu.
FIRST PUBLISHED: November 24, 2024, 08:03 IST
