'Aashram' Row: Rajasthan High Court Grants Protection Against Coercive Action To Filmmaker-Producer Prakash Jha

The Bench of Justice Manoj Kumar Garg has given the relief to Jha till the next hearing of his plea to quash the FIR lodged against him in Jodhpur.

This FIR [FIR No.06/2021, PS Luni, District Jodhpur City West] has been registered against Jha allegedly for hurting Dalit sentiments by the objectionable depiction of the community in his web series 'Aashram'.

As reported by PTI, this FIR was lodged on a complaint filed stating that in a particular scene in the 1st episode of the web series 'Aashram' upper caste people are insulting and humiliating a Dalit community bridegroom.

Taking exception to the scene, the complainant had said that such a scene has not only insulted and humiliated the Dalit community but has also sought to encourage such abusive behaviour of the upper caste people.

In response to this, Jha moved the Rajasthan High Court seeking court's order for quashing of the FIR.

It was argued before the Bench that the police should not have invoked Sections 3(1)(R)(S)(U) of the SC/ST Act against Jha as it was not a real case of anyone insulting anyone, but only the portrayal of a fictional situation in the Web Series 'Aashram'.

The Court has also issued notices to the State of Rajasthan and to the complainant seeking their response on Jha's plea within six weeks.

In related news, the Allahabad High Court on Thursday (04^th February) while reserving order in the Anticipatory Bail Plea filed by Amazon Prime, Original Content Head (India) Aparna Purohit, granted her protection against coercive against till pronouncement of Order.

The Bench of Justice Siddharth gave this order after hearing the arguments of both the sides in the Anticipatory Bail Plea filed by Purohit in connection with a matter registered against her.