K’taka HC indicates passing order in actor Ranveer Singh’s plea to quash FIR against him

Ranveer Singh sought to quash an FIR over alleged insult to ‘Chavunda Daiva’ as the Karnataka High Court questioned ambiguity in his apology affidavit. The court indicated it may admonish him while deciding the matter amid objections

Bengaluru: The Karnataka High Court on Saturday indicated that it would pass an order on the affidavit filed by Bollywood actor Ranveer Singh after considering the objections raised regarding an apology.

Singh had tendered the apology before the High Court here and filed an affidavit seeking to quash an FIR registered against him for allegedly insulting ‘Chavunda Daiva’, a deity from Dakshina Kannada district.
Justice M Nagaprasanna, who was hearing the case, said the actor’s behaviour required admonition, which he would do while disposing of the case.

---

The matter came up for hearing during the day, with arguments centred on the contents of the affidavit filed by the actor, particularly regarding his assurance to visit a temple as part of his apology.
According to submissions made in court, the affidavit states that the actor would visit the Chamundi Temple “in due course”.

Counsel opposing the plea questioned the ambiguity of the phrase, arguing that “due course” could mean anything from a few days to several years and sought a specific timeline. In response, the actor’s counsel said a precise timeline could not be indicated due to security concerns, citing certain incidents.

The opposing side, however, maintained that they had full faith in the Karnataka Police to provide adequate security. During the Filmfare Awards held in Goa last year, Ranveer Singh attempted to imitate actor Rishab Shetty’s performance as ‘Chavundi Daiva’ in ‘Kantara Chapter-1’.

He had also referred to the ‘Daiva’ as a “ghost”, following which a Bengaluru-based lawyer approached a court alleging that his religious sentiments were hurt. Based on the complaint, an FIR was registered against the actor, prompting him to move the court seeking quashing of the case.