Kannada actor Upendra's alleged casteist remarks row: K'taka HC puts case on hold; actor reacts [details]

An FIR has been lodged against Upendra, a Kannada actor and leader of the Uttama Prajaakeeya Party, under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. On the same, The High Court of Karnataka issued a temporary halt on Monday to the ongoing legal action against Upendra, a well-known Kannada actor, director, and politician. The legal action stemmed from an FIR filed under the SC/ST Act in response to alleged remarks made during a Facebook live session.

Upendra had presented his plea to the court, seeking the dismissal of the charges against him, which were related to purported offenses under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Despite the fact that the case was not scheduled for a hearing, Upendra's legal representative approached the court, and Justice Hemanth Chandanagoudar, the presiding judge, granted the interim stay.

In a petition submitted to the High Court, Upendra's legal team argued, "An unfounded, trivial, and attention-seeking complaint has been lodged against the petitioner for utilizing a Kannada proverb. The petitioner has not shown any disrespect towards individuals from the Dalit or SC/ST communities." The petition requested a temporary suspension of all proceedings and investigations related to the case.

Upendra took to X (formerly Twitter) to thank the High Court and shared a note that it loosely translated to, "A force that has opened its head to the suspicion of injustice. The High Court stopped the hate game. The umbrella of love held by the unexpected hot sun. Mother who loves all of you more and more and more and more...Thank you. Thank you all (sic)."

Interestingly, there are two additional complaints lodged against him regarding the same matter, and these complaints have been registered at two different police stations.

Madhusudan KN, an Assistant Director at the Social Welfare Department, had initiated the complaint. According to the complaint, the department had received reports from the public about a live web session held by Upendra on August 12, during which he purportedly made a statement that was deemed offensive. The FIR was registered under Section 3(1)(r)(s) of the SC/ST Act.

During the live online event, which was held to mark the sixth anniversary of his political involvement, Upendra was said to have made the remarks in question. He used a Kannada proverb, "Oorendare Holageri Iruthe" (there will be a Dalit hamlet in every village), to convey a point about dealing with criticism in life. Upendra's petition clarified that the proverb had no connection to Dalits and was not intended to insult individuals from the Scheduled Castes or Scheduled Tribes.

The petition further defended Upendra's statement, explaining that the proverb was a general expression used to convey that criticism is a natural aspect of life, and there is no need to be overly distressed by it. It emphasized that the statement had no derogatory implications towards Dalits or individuals from the SC/ST communities. The petition also highlighted the existence of a place called Holageri in the Shivamogga District, where many individuals bear the surname Holageri.

The petition also acknowledged that Upendra had deleted the Facebook episode after receiving criticism and had extended an apology, expressing regret if anyone had been inadvertently hurt. It underlined that Upendra had no intention of insulting any person or community.

In conclusion, the petition reasserted that the complaint against Upendra was baseless and aimed at garnering attention. It emphasized that the actor had not targeted Dalits or individuals belonging to the SC/ST groups. The petition reiterated the request for an interim stay on the ongoing proceedings and investigations related to the case.