Supreme Court refuses to entertain plea to censor Kangana Ranaut's social media posts

The Supreme Court on Friday refused to entertain a plea seeking a direction to censor all future social media posts by Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut [Sardar Chanderpal Singh v. Union of India]..The Bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Bela M Trivedi made it clear that the Court will not entertain third party petitions in such a case. .The plea prayed for an order to transfer all pending first information reports (FIRs) registered against Ranaut across India to the Khar Police Station in Mumbai. It further prayed that chargesheets in those cases be submitted in six months and that trial be completed in two years..The petitioner claimed that he was tremendously hurt by an Instagram post of Ranaut which stated that “Sikh Farmers were Khalistani Terrorists".The plea said that the Instagram post justified the anti-sikh genocide of 1984. "(It) upholds the genocide of 1984, means that Sikhs should be treated as a lower race like unwanted mosquitoes and they need a Guru like Mrs. Indira Gandhi when the Eternal Guru of the Sikhs is Guru Granth Sahibjee,” the petition said. These kind of statements could develop racial discrimination and hate based on difference in faith and could even lead to riots, the petitioner contended..It was stated that the remarks by Ranaut were not only outrageous, defamatory and blasphemous, but also intended to cause riots, hurt religious sentiments, and portray Sikhs "in a totally anti-national manner.""It justifies innocent killing of Sikhs. The remarks are totally against the unity of our country and the actress deserves a Serious punishment at Law. They cannot be brushed aside or excused," the plea filed through advocate Anil Kumar stated.

Supreme Court refuses to entertain plea to censor Kangana Ranaut's social media posts

Debayan Roy

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