The Karnataka High Court on Tuesday expressed strong displeasure over the depiction of Hindu deities in an episode of Comedy Khiladigalu, a Kannada comedy aired on Zee. Justice M Nagaprasanna clarified that while creative and comic expression is protected, it cannot be stretched to hurt sentiments or demean figures that are respected by millions, as per a report by Bar and Bench.
The judge firmly questioned whether content creators can claim absolute protection under free speech? “So under the grab of free speech, you can do anything you want? Then?” He raised a question indicating that artistic freedom is not without limits.
Why did the High Court raise an objection to the episode?
Referring to the complaint, Justice Nagaprasanna stated that depictions of Lord Krishna and Draupadi were deeply troubling. He mentioned that such portrayals were “unreadable” and questioned how anything could be justified under the name of comedy. “In the name of comedy, anything is happening in this country?” the judge added. He further added that the court cannot show indulgence when religious figures are shown in an offensive way, as reported by Bar and Bench.
Senior Advocate Sandesh Chouta, representing the show’s producers, argued that the episode did not directly depict Hindu deities. As per him, the scene was built on fictional village characters rehearsing a play based on the Mahabharata. The humour originated from the rehearsal process rather than mocking mythological characters. However, the court remained unconvinced. “What else it is? The judge asked, and later also questioned why such a rehearsal needed to be shown on air at all.
What relief did the Court ordered to Zee?
Despite its sharp objection, the High Court has granted Zee interim protection from arrest. It ordered the State authorities not to take forceful action against representatives of the channel, provided they give full cooperation during the probe. The court also clarified that the matter was still at the stage of investigation and asked the petitioners to participate in it.
Chouta also highlighted the alleged procedural lapses regarding the transfer of the complaint from Hubli to Bengaluru without conducting a primary probe. Justice Nagaprasanna underlined that many cases collapse because of procedural failures. He also observed that an accused person can always seek bail if safeguards are violated.
Last year in December, in a separate case, the Punjab and Haryana High Court raised a question against a PIL against an Aaj Tak broadcast over the depiction of Maharishi Valmiki, as reported by the Indian Express. The Chief Justice asked the petitioner to present the historical material on ground. It was also observed that depicting a transformation from wrongdoing to virtue may not, by itself, violate law or ethics.