It was argued that the alleged remarks lack intent to humiliate based mostly on caste (File)
Giving reduction to Bollywood star Shilpa Shetty, the Rajasthan Excessive Courtroom on Thursday quashed a legal case registered in opposition to her beneath the Scheduled Castes & Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act in Churu Kotwali in December 2017.
Shilpa Shetty was booked on a criticism alleging that she had used a casteist phrase in a 2013 TV interview through which actor Salman Khan was additionally current.
A criticism was made to police alleging that using the phrase had allegedly harm the feelings of the Valmiki neighborhood.
Shilpa Shetty moved the Excessive Courtroom searching for quashing of the case. It was acknowledged in courtroom that Ashok Panwar had lodged a police criticism alleging that he noticed an interview of two movie actors i.e. Salman Khan and Shilpa Raj Kundra (petitioner herein) on TV, whereby they used the phrase whih allegedly harm the feelings of the folks belonging to the Valmiki neighborhood.
On the idea of the criticism, an FIR was registered and an investigation was launched.
Counsel for the petitioner argued that, admittedly, the purported interview ensuing within the impugned FIR was recorded in 2013, whereas, the FIR was belatedly lodged on December 22, 2017, i.e. after greater than 3 years.
It was argued that the SC/ST Act additionally doesn’t apply, because the alleged remarks lack intent to humiliate based mostly on caste. It’s thus contended that the FIR is legally untenable and constitutes an abuse of course of.
Accordingly, the courtroom held that there have been no allegations in opposition to the petitioner that merited continuation of the current criticism and quashed the case.
“The contents of the FIR above present that there’s neither any proof nor any malicious intent and nor any means to commit any offence, as alleged. There isn’t any indication within the FIR or accompanying proof that the accused meant to demean or insult the Valmiki neighborhood. On the most, their interview statements, which seem to have been made casually, are being interpreted and brought completely out of context. The Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act requires that the accused should act with a particular intent to humiliate, insult, or hurt members of the SC/ST neighborhood,” the order mentioned.
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