Sixteen years after a complaint over a joke on the show Comedy Circus Ka Jadoo led to a case against actor and TV host Shekhar Suman and comedian Bharti Singh, the Bombay High Court has quashed the FIR, bringing relief to the two artistes.
The case dated back to 2010, when an FIR was filed over allegedly offensive remarks made on the Sony TV show. Apart from Suman and Singh, the channel and a scriptwriter were also named as accused. The complaint, filed by a representative of Raza Academy, alleged that Singh had cracked a joke about a Quranic verse on the show, and that Suman, who was associated with the episode, had repeated the verse.
The court has now clarified that the role attributed to Shekhar and Bharti was “too remote” to bring them within the alleged offences, and that no material had been found to show deliberate or malicious intent on their part.
Reacting to the verdict, Suman tells us, “I did not even know about it. It was Bharti who had said something innocuously, with no religious connotation. I wasn’t even part of it, but was unnecessarily dragged into the matter to gain publicity.”
{{/usCountry}}Reacting to the verdict, Suman tells us, “I did not even know about it. It was Bharti who had said something innocuously, with no religious connotation. I wasn’t even part of it, but was unnecessarily dragged into the matter to gain publicity.”
{{/usCountry}}The actor says he is relieved by the court’s decision. “I’m extremely thankful to the honourable judge who trashed the case,” he says, adding that he was unaware the matter was still going on. “It came as a surprise. I had long forgotten about it. I wasn’t sent a notice or asked to appear for my stand. Thank God for that. Imagine how some people waste the precious time of court and hassle innocent citizens. Justice prevails.”