Punjab and Haryana High Court quashes FIR against ‘Yaarian 2’ makers

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has quashed an FIR registered against the director, producer, and an actor of the film ‘Yaarian 2’ regarding the portrayal of a kirpan in a song. The legal action followed a complaint alleging that the depiction of a clean-shaven, non-Amritdhari Sikh actor, Neezaan Jafri, wearing a ‘Sri Sahib’ violated Sikh customs and insulted religious sentiments.

Justice Shalini Singh Nagpal ruled that the portrayal was an expression of creative liberty and artistic instinct. The court observed that the inadvertent depiction of the kirpan, one of the five religious ‘Kakaars’ of Sikhism, did not constitute a deliberate or malicious act intended to hurt religious feelings under Section 295-A of the Indian Penal Code.

The judgment emphasized that the act would not be viewed as grossly offensive or provocative by an ordinary prudent mind. Furthermore, the court noted that a grievance expressed by an individual does not necessarily represent the sentiments of the entire Sikh community.