Relief for Raveena-Farah-Bharti: No police action in religious sentiment case
What's the story
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has stayed police notices sent to actor Raveena Tandon, filmmaker Farah Khan, and comedian Bharti Singh. The notices were regarding a 2020 FIR alleging that the trio's comments on a 2019 show hurt the religious sentiments of the Christian community. Justice Manisha Batra granted the stay till July 14, directing no further action till the next hearing.
Show controversy
Controversy over 'Backbenchers' show
The controversy stemmed from Khan's show Backbenchers, which invited celebrities to test their general knowledge. The complainant alleged that Tandon, Khan, and Singh, during the show, compared the word "Hallelujah" with a vulgar term. However, Abhinav Sood, the legal representative for the accused trio, argued there was no intent to offend the Christian community. "The show was not being telecast for discussing anything about Christian or Christianity." He further argued that religious hurt must be "deliberate and malicious."
Legal background
Legal proceedings and previous High Court directive
The plea was filed seeking the quashing of the FIR registered in 2020 against Tandon, Khan, and Singh for their comments during the show. Notably, this isn't the first time the High Court has intervened in this matter. In 2022, it had directed the State not to take any "coercive steps" against the petitioners. Now, the court has said no further action should be taken till next hearing on July 14.