×
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT

PIL in HC against Haasan's Hindu terrorist remark

Last Updated 14 May 2019, 18:49 IST

The Delhi High Court on Tuesday decided to consider a PIL for action against actor-cum-politician Kamal Haasan's controversial remarks that Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse was a 'Hindu terrorist'.

The petition was mentioned before a bench of Chief Justice Rajendra Menon and Justice A J Bhambhani by BJP leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay who has also sought debarring of candidates and deregistration of parties which misuse religion for electoral gain.

The bench allowed the plea to be listed for hearing on Wednesday before an appropriate bench.

Upadhyay, also a lawyer, alleged that Haasan "deliberately" made the statement in the presence of a Muslim majority crowd for electoral gain.

The petition contends that this was "clearly a corrupt practice under the Representation of the People Act (RPA) 1951.

Haasan, the president of Makkal Needhi Maiam, had in an election rally speech termed Mahatma Gandhi's assassin Nathuram Godse as independent India's first "Hindu terrorist".

He had made the comment while speaking at an election rally for his party candidate in Aravakurichi Assembly constituency, where by-polls will be held on May 19, the petition said.

"Haasan has violated the Model Code of Conduct in addition to section 123(3) of the RPA 1951. He is deliberately promoting enmity between different groups on the grounds of religion and doing acts prejudicial to maintenance of harmony and brotherhood, which is an offence under section 153A of the IPC. It is a deliberate and malicious act, intended to outrage religious feelings of millions of Hindus, which is an offence under section 295A IPC," the petition claimed.

ADVERTISEMENT
(Published 14 May 2019, 14:19 IST)

Follow us on

ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT