Bengaluru: High Court grants interim stay on FIR against actor Upendra

Bengaluru : The Karnataka High Court on Monday issued an interim stay on the FIR registered against actor Upendra in connection with a case involving alleged caste abuse. Upendra, also known as B.M. Upendra Kumar , sought to quash the FIR, which led to a writ petition being heard by a single member bench headed by Justice Hemanta Chandan Gowder

During the hearing, senior advocate Udaya Holla, representing Upendra, emphasized that the words used by the petitioner were a mere proverb and not intended with malicious intent. Consequently, he urged the court to quash the FIR. In response, the court probed, “How can you use this proverb?” Upon examining the details of the case, the court granted the petitioner’s plea and ordered an interim stay on the FIR.

In the meantime, the bench issued a notice to the complainant and adjourned the hearing to the second week of September. Uday Holla served as the advocate for the petitioner, with advocates S. Chandrasekhar and M.S. Rajendra assisting the senior counsel during the argument. The case revolves around actor Upendra’s use of the phrase during a live broadcast on social media. This statement allegedly offended the caste sentiments within the Dalit community. Upendra, a renowned actor of the state, had been held as a role model, but concerns arose that imitators might perpetuate the derogatory sentiment, potentially harming public harmony.

Gopal Giriappa and Banashankari Nagu of Bengaluru’s Samata Sainik Dal formally expressed their distress to the Social Welfare Department, seeking action under the SC-ST atrocities control Act. They alleged that the statement had hurt the sentiments of Dalits. Acting on the complaint, Bangalore south taluk social welfare department’s Assistant director K.N. Madhusudhan, lodged a complaint at Chennammana Kere Achukattu police station on the 13th.