HC restores Bharti Singh, Shekhar Suman’s plea for quashing FIR hurting religious sentiments
The Bombay High Court has revived a petition filed by comedienne Bharti Singh and actor Shekhar Suman to quash a 2010 FIR against them for allegedly offending the sentiments of Muslims. The FIR was filed against them for making offensive remarks about a Quranic verse on a comedy show.
MUMBAI: The Bombay high court (HC) has restored a petition filed by comedienne Bharti Singh and actor Shekhar Suman to quash a 2010 FIR registered against them at the Pydhonie police station for allegedly offending the sentiments of Muslims.
Earlier dismissed on January 8, 2024, due to the absence of counsel representing the petitioners, the court revived the case, which had not been listed since November 2014. During one of the previous hearings, the court had provided interim relief to Singh and Suman, barring any coercive action and preventing the police from filing charges until the matter was heard.
The FIR from 2010 was filed against Sony Entertainment Channel, Shekhar Suman, Bharti Singh, and a scriptwriter, alleging they had insulted a Quranic verse in a comedy show aired by the channel, according to police sources.
A representative from the Raza Academy, a Muslim body, lodged the complaint, claiming that a joke cracked on the show ‘Comedy Circus’ was offensive to Islam. Singh, allegedly in an episode of the show co-hosted by Shekhar Suman, allegedly made remarks about a Quranic verse, with Suman repeating them.
The FIR was registered under IPC sections 295 (injuring or defiling a place of worship with the intent to insult the religion of any class) and 34 (acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).
Raza Academy representatives also brought the matter to the attention of Maharashtra Home Minister R R Patil, who assured them of addressing the issue. The recorded version of the joke was presented to the minister for review.
The police then stated that they would examine the recorded version and take appropriate action against the individuals or organisations involved. Subsequently, Singh and Suman then moved high court through advocate PD Desai to quash the FIR.