Why was a bailable warrant issued against Anurag Kashyap?
What's the story
A Surat city court recently issued a bailable warrant against filmmaker-actor Anurag Kashyap for his alleged offensive remarks on social media against the Brahmin community last year. The order was passed on Monday after he failed to appear before the court despite several summonses, including one published in a newspaper. The matter will be heard further on December 24, reported PTI.
Legal proceedings
Application filed by legal advisor of Hindutva outfits
The court had directed the registration of a case against Kashyap under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) Sections 192 (promoting enmity between different groups), 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace), and 352(2) (circulating false rumors) in May.
This was based on an application filed by lawyer Kamlesh Raval, who is a legal advisor to Hindutva outfits Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad.
Court's action
'Public summons was issued in a newspaper'
Raval told PTI, "We initially filed an application and requested his presence (in court) for verification, but he failed to appear. The trial court subsequently initiated proceedings against him."
"A summons was then issued, yet he did not show up. The court directed that a public summons be published in a newspaper."
"We arranged for this to be printed in a prominent newspaper (in its Mumbai edition), but he still failed to appear."
Controversy
Case based on social media post
The case against Kashyap stems from his social media post on April 16, 2025, which allegedly insulted the Brahmin community.
The applicant claimed that when an individual named Aaditya objected to Kashyap's post, he responded by asking, "What have you achieved by being a Brahmin?"
The director was addressing Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Samaj and Vipra Sena's objection to the Hindi film Phule.
Days after his comments triggered a controversy, Kashyap issued an apology to the Brahmin community.