A special SC/ST court in Jodhpur in Rajasthan has directed the local police to file an FIR against Indian cricketer Hardik Pandya for his alleged tweet, deemed insulting to Dr BR Ambedkar and Dalits in general.
File Photo: AFPThe special SC/ST court’s directive to police came after a petitioner DR Meghwal, who claimed to be the head Rashtriya Bhim Sena, alleged that Pandya had insulted Ambedkar and Dalits using derogatory languages in December.
According to Meghwal, Pandya had tweeted, “Which Ambedkar ??? The one who drafted a cross law and constitution or the one who spread the disease called reservation in the country.”
Meghwal said that derogatory comments coming from a reputed cricketer such as Pandya had insulted both the architect of the Indian constitution and the community he belonged to. “I learnt about Pandya’s comment through social media in January. It appeared quite derogatory for a figure like Ambedkar and was an attempt to spread hatred and create division in the society.. By doing so, he has committed a serious crime and hurt the sentiments of my entire community,” Meghwal, an advocate by profession, was quoted by Times of India.
The Delhi High Court last year had ruled that posting of casteist insults on social media platforms against members of the SC/ST community was punishable under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, which was replaced with the Scheduled Castes and the Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Amendment Act, 2015.
If found guilty, Pandya may have to spend time in jail from six months to five years along with a hefty fine too.
Meanwhile, Rajesh Yadav, SHO of Udai Mandir Thana in Jaipur, told NDTV that further action will be taken as per the law. “We are yet to receive the orders of the court and once we get it, I will be in a position to comment,” he added.