New Delhi: In a relief to Shilpa Shetty, the Rajasthan High Court has canceled a case filed against the actress under the SC-ST Act, in which she was accused of using casteist slurs in a TV show. A complaint was filed against the 49-year-old actress in 2017, alleging that she had used the word ‘bhangi’ in a 2013 TV interview in which actor Salman Khan was also present.
Shilpa Shetty was accused in the complaint lodged in Churu that this word had allegedly hurt the sentiments of the people of Valmiki community. After this, the actress approached the High Court demanding cancellation of the FIR. According to India Today report, Shilpa Shetty’s lawyer Prashant Patil told the High Court that the actress has already apologized to the public for her statement and her statement was misrepresented. The High Court accepted the argument and canceled the FIR against him.
Judge Arun Monga heard the petition on November 18 and said that there is no evidence in the FIR that Shilpa Shetty wanted to insult the Valmiki community with her comments. The court also said that although the word ‘bhangi’ may be offensive in some contexts, it can also be used unintentionally or ‘alternatively in colloquial language’. On the objectionable word, it was further said that it is derived from the Sanskrit word ‘Bhanga’, which according to dictionaries also means ‘broken’ or ‘disintegrated’. Justice Monga also said, ‘In another context, ‘Bhanga’ is also used for cannabis or intoxicants, hence a person who consumes cannabis can also be called ‘Bhangi’.
FIRST PUBLISHED: November 21, 2024, 22:42 IST
