A police complaint has been filed against a social media user for creating and sharing a so-called ‘objectionable’ video of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhushan Gavai on X on Monday (6th October).
The FIR was registered at New Panvel Police Station in Navi Mumbai after an advocate alleged that the video was ‘offensive’ and ‘caste-based’.
According to the complaint, the video, made by a user identified as “Kikki Singh”, shows CJI Gavai with a pot around his neck, his face painted blue, and another unidentified person hitting him with shoes.
The FIR states that the video “attempts to suggest that any Scheduled Caste person, no matter how high a position they may have attained, deserves to be treated in the same way that untouchables were treated in history, based on their caste.”
The complaint further said that Singh and a few others deliberately made the video to incite caste-based animosity because CJI Gavai is India’s first Dalit Chief Justice.
The advocate who filed the FIR also said that CJI Gavai has never made any remarks insulting Hindus or the Sanatan Dharma, and therefore, spreading such false narratives can have dangerous consequences.
He pointed out that such misinformation may have led to the recent incident in which an advocate threw a shoe at the Chief Justice. “Though the Supreme Court Registry decided not to take action against that advocate, this kind of behaviour is an attack on the Constitution,” he added.
After the complaint, a case was filed by the police against several sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including sections 3(5) (common intent), 61(2) (criminal conspiracy), 196 (creating enmity based on caste), 352 (intentional insult), and 353 (spreading rumors to cause enmity). The Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe (Prevention of Atrocities) Act provisions have also been invoked.
Police officials said they have started investigating the matter and are tracing the people involved in creating and circulating the video.
