The High Court of Calcutta has quashed a first information report (FIR) registered against BJP leader and actor Paresh Rawal for a controversial remark allegedly made by him against Bengalis.
The Single-Judge Bench of Justice Rajasekhar Mantha noted on Monday that the speech was made in Gujarati and no English translation of the text was available till date.
Justice Mantha observed that since the comments were in Gujarati, it could not be necessarily understood by the people objecting to it.
It further took in view the fact that the petitioner has already tendered an apology for the same.
Noting that further continuation of the proceedings and the FIR lodged in December last year would not be desirable, the High Court quashed the same.
Kolkata Police had booked Rawal on the basis of a complaint filed by one Md Salim, who was the State Secretary of CPI(M), alleging that the actor hurt the sentiments of Bengalis by making the fish comment.
Rawal had attended an election rally in Valsad district of Gujarat last year, wherein he had reportedly said that gas cylinders were expensive, but their price would come down. People may get employment too, but what would happen if Rohingya migrants and Bangladeshis start living around the locals in Gujarat, on lines of Delhi. He asked the local people whether they would cook fish for the Bengalis on their gas cylinders.
The comments led to huge backlash, following which, Rawal issued an apology on micro-blogging site Twitter. He tweeted that he did not want to hurt anyone’s sentiments and that he was referring to the illegal Bangladeshis, who entered India through West Bengal.
(Case title: Paresh Dayabhai Rawal @ Paresh Rawal vs State of West Bengal)