Surat: A local court on Saturday directed the registration of a criminal case against filmmaker-actor Anurag Kashyap over his social media remarks allegedly “defaming” the Brahmin community.

The court of Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMFC) A S Jani partly accepted a private complaint filed by advocate and Vishva Hindu Parishad leader Kamlesh Raval. Observing that there was prima facie reason to believe the social media post had been circulated in a manner that allegedly defamed a particular community, the court ordered the registration of a criminal case against Kashyap.

The court directed police to file a case under the provisions of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita, including Section 196 (promoting enmity between groups), Section 352 (intentional insult with intent to provoke a breach of peace), and Section 353(2) (circulating false information).

Raval, who belongs to the Brahmin community, had approached the court alleging that Kashyap’s posts on X contained objectionable remarks that insulted and defamed the community.

According to the complaint, Kashyap’s response to a post criticising his earlier remarks was also objectionable and intended to offend the Brahmin community as a whole.

The complaint stated that on April 16 last year, after the trailer release of the Hindi film Phule faced opposition from the All India Brahman Samaj, Kashyap reacted on X with remarks allegedly targeting the Brahmin community and later repeated similar comments while responding to criticism.

The complainant argued that the posts had triggered widespread objections from members of the Brahmin community and had the potential to create social discord and tensions among communities and castes. It further stated that, as a public figure associated with films and entertainment, Kashyap’s statements could significantly influence people. DeshGujarat