Right-wing YouTuber Ajeet Bharti faces FIR in Punjab for allegedly posting casteist and hateful content targeting Chief Justice BR Gavai. Police claim his remarks aimed to incite violence and spread hostility against the judiciary, triggering nationwide outrage.
Police in Punjab registered over a dozen FIRs against right-wing influencer Ajeet Bharti and others by the evening of October 8, for making “casteist and provocative” remarks on social media concerning Chief Justice of India BR Gavai.
This follows an incident on October 6, where a lawyer attempted to attack the CJI with a shoe in the Supreme Court.
AAP minister Harpal Singh Cheema also accused the ruling BJP at the Centre of promoting “anti-Dalit sentiment” during a press conference in Chandigarh.
In a related matter, an FIR has been filed against Rakesh Kishore, the lawyer involved in the shoe-throwing incident, in Bengaluru, Karnataka, and the case has since been transferred to the Delhi Police.
The FIRs filed in Punjab total between 12 and 15, with the possibility of more being added, and they name at least 28 individuals. These cases predominantly target social media posts and handles, as reported by sources.
Most of those accused are from outside Punjab and are charged under non-bailable sections of the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, among other laws. An officer informed media that the prominent figures behind the allegedly casteist posts include influencers like Ajeet Bharti, a YouTuber, and others linked to right-wing platforms.
A viral video featuring these individuals discussing the CJI’s remarks about a Hindu idol in September has been circulating since the attempted attack. In that video, they are said to have incited Hindus to take action against Gavai, according to officials.
Cheema, a Dalit representative of the Aam Aadmi Party government, asserted at the press conference that the BJP is responsible for creating a “dangerous anti-Dalit atmosphere in the country.”
He described the attack on the CJI as an assault on the Supreme Court, the Constitution crafted by BR Ambedkar, and the millions of Dalits across the nation.
During the press conference in Chandigarh, Cheema emphasized that the AAP would not permit the BJP’s anti-Dalit policies and strategies to prevail. AAP leader Arvind Kejriwal has called for legal action against the attacker, 71-year-old lawyer Rakesh Kishore.
Cheema stated,
“AAP is actively formulating a comprehensive legal and social strategy in response to the attack on the Chief Justice,”
He added,
“We plan to launch a widespread campaign about the issue and ensure that rigorous legal action is taken against all the guilty parties,”
The posts and videos in question contain expressions that are casteist and filled with hate, aimed at fostering communal discord, disrupting public order, and undermining respect for judicial institutions.
Additionally, it was noted that the social media content included unlawful and objectionable material targeting the Chief Justice of India.
The content of these social media posts was designed to incite violence and diminish respect for constitutional authority. It involved intentional intimidation, insults directed at members of scheduled castes, and attempts to promote enmity, hatred, and ill will.
The posts sought to create divisions based on caste and included deliberate insults intended to provoke a breach of peace and statements leading to public mischief.
The First Information Reports (FIRs) have been filed under sections 3(1)(r), 3(1)(s), and 3(1)(u) of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, 1989, along with Sections 196, 352, 353(1), 353(2), and 61 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
These were registered at various police stations following the receipt of information revealing the commission of cognizable offenses.
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