Calcutta High Court quashes FIR in hate speech case against Paresh Rawal

Excelsior Correspondent
JAMMU, Feb 6: Calcutta High Court has quashed the FIR in hate speech case against Bollywood actor and BJP leader Paresh Rawal.
FIR was registered on 02.12.2022 under Sections 153/153A/153B/504/505 of IPC against Paresh Rawal concerning the controversial statement made by him wherein he had passed some allegedly defamatory comments on the Bengali community during his campaign in Gujarat Assembly Election in 2022.
Writ petition was filed before the High Court of Calcutta against the FIR registered by Taltala Police Station on the basis of the purported complaint. The High Court quashed the FIR and stayed all the proceedings against the Bollywood actor besides asking the police authorities of the State not to initiate any action till further notice.
Advocate Varun Chugh, Counsel for Paresh Rawal said that the FIR was registered with an intention to gain political mileage with ulterior motives. It is evident that it is a politically motivated FIR to damage the reputation of celebrity and public figure like my client, he added.
“Section 41A of CRPC summon notice were sent thrice to my client raising a reasonable doubt as to the malafide intention behind the FIR and it was tainted with colours of political vendetta and filed only for ulterior reasons of the complainant and other politically influenced persons in state of West Bengal,” said Advocate Chugh.