Ranveer Singh moves Karnataka HC to quash FIR registered in ‘Kantara’ remarks

The actor has challenged a January 23 order by the ACJM Bengaluru that directed the police to investigate an FIR filed by an advocate.

Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh, during the closing ceremony of the 56th International Film Festival (IFFI) in Panaji, Goa, in November last year, had mimicked the ‘Daiva’ as a reaction to Rishab Shetty’s Kannada film, Kantara: A Legend Chapter-1. However, his remarks and mimicry of the character didn’t sit well with a section of the community. Now, the actor has moved the Karnataka HC seeking quashing of the FIR registered in the case.

Ranveer Singh challenges FIR and moves Karnataka HC.

Singh has challenged a January 23 order by the additional chief judicial magistrate (ACJM) Bengaluru, directing the police to investigate a private complaint filed by an advocate under Section 175(3) of the BharatiyaNagarikSurakshaSanhita (BNSS). He has moved the Karnataka high court seeking to quash a first information report (FIR) registered against him over remarks made during an appearance at the closing ceremony of the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa in November last year. His lawyer, Manu Prabhakar Kulkarni, mentioned the petition before a bench of Justice M Nagaprasanna on Monday and sought an urgent hearing. The high court agreed to hear the plea on Tuesday. Following the court’s order, the High Grounds Police Station in Bengaluru booked Ranveer Singh for promoting enmity between religious groups, deliberate acts intended to outrage religious feelings, and public mischief, under sections 196, 299, and 302 of the BharatiyaNyayaSanhita (BNS). Singh, however, has subsequently apologised for his remarks.

Petition by Ranveer Singh on the matter.

In his petition, Ranveer Singh said his mimicry of a character from the film was an “honest appreciation” that had wrongly been given a “criminal colour.” He has thus urged the High Court to set aside the ACJM’s order and quash the private complaint that culminated in the registration of the FIR. He has also sought an interim stay on further investigation in the case. In his application to a Bengaluru court, complainant Prashant Methal claimed that Singh performed an act in which he mimicked the sacred expressions and mannerisms associated with Panjurli and GuligaDaiva, spiritual deities worshipped in coastal Karnataka, in a “crude and humorous way.” The complainant also claimed at the time that Singh referred to Daiva as a “female ghost” during the event, and that this conduct hurt the religious sentiments of devotees.