Punjab & Haryana High Court Grants Interim Anticipatory Bail to Actress Munmun Dutta
Actress Munmun Dutta got interim anticipatory bail by the Punjab and Haryana High Court today;in connection with the ‘Bhangi’ comment, a casteist slur, reportedly made by her in a video broadcast on social media.
Justice Avneesh Jhingan’s bench granted her interim anticipatory bail, conditional on her joining the; investigation in the case within one week, and set a next date of hearing for February 25, 2022.
It noted that; Munmun Dutta was the subject of five FIRs filed under Section 3(1)(u) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act for his; use of the casteist slur in a YouTube video.
Advocate Ruchi Sekhri, her lawyer, contended before the Court that; a piece of the vlog taken out of context and made viral, and that; the actor publicly apologized for her statement and stated that she was unaware of its meaning owing to a language barrier.
The Court stated that; it would be an arguable matter whether the mere use of an unpleasant term to describe herself would be sufficient to bring her within the scope of Section 3(1)(u) of the Act.
In response to the AAG, Haryana’s argument that; Section 18 of the SC/ST Act prohibits the grant of anticipatory bail, the Court cited Prathvi Raj Chauhan v. Union of India and others, AIR 2020 SC 1036,
The Court gave her interim relief and ordered that; in the event of her arrest, she be freed on bail if she can provide appropriate bail bonds to the satisfaction of the Investigating Officer.
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