An advocate practising at the Telangana High Court in Hyderabad has filed a written complaint with the Chief Justice of India (CJI) NV Ramana asking him to direct the central government to take penal action against the Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut. Calling the actor’s statement, where she said that India attained true independence only after 2014, blasphemous, the lawyer in his letter dated November 15, 2021, urged CJI to order the government of India to press sedition charges against the actress.
The advocate, also a member of the Bar Council of Telangana, stated that Bollywood actress Kangana Ranaut’s remark is disrespectful and hurtful to the sentiments of all citizens of India and that the statement is particularly objectionable as it attacks the Indian Constitution.
A letter complaint has been filed before CJI NV Ramana to direct Centre to take penal action against actor #KanganaRanaut for her recent independent India remark. Lawyer has requested CJI to take suo Motu cognisance of this letter #SupremeCourt pic.twitter.com/KEsaos2KzY
— Bar & Bench (@barandbench) November 15, 2021
The lawyer, in his complaint, further claimed that the actor’s remark has been widely spread across social media and print media and both the central as well as the state governments are well aware of the same, but, somehow, for reasons best known to them failed to initiate any action against Ranaut.
He submitted that Kangana Ranaut’s statement is directly degrading to the freedom fighters and martyrs who have laid down their lives for India’s independence in 1947. He added that Kangana’s remark was critical of the freedom fighters and the Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, which warrants stringent criminal action against her for sedition and bringing disrepute to the Constitution of India.
He added that Kangana should be charged for sedition under the provisions of IPC Sections 124-A, 504, 505 and so also Section 2 of the Prevention of Insults to National Honour Act, 1971.
“In view of the above facts and circumstances in consideration, I pray and begs before Your Lordship to take Suo-Moto cognisance of this Petition by initiating enquiry and directing the executives of the Union of India to take penal action against Kangana Ranaut, in the interest of Justice,” the letter read.
Earlier, four-time national award-winning actress Kangana Ranaut had stoked up controversy after she said that India attained real freedom only in 2014 when the Narendra Modi government came to power. She had described India’s independence in 1947 from the British as ‘bheek’ (alms). After her comment drew ire, Kangana had gone on to defend herself and said that she would return her Padma award if she is proven wrong.
Amidst all the hullabaloo surrounding Ranaut’s remark, veteran actor Vikram Gokhale on Sunday extended his support to Kangana Ranaut. Explaining Ranaut’s rationale behind the remark, Gokhale had said that we in India got freedom in alms as it was ‘given’. He said many freedom fighters were hanged and the bigwigs at that time didn’t try to save them and remained mute spectators, he added.
