The Punjab and Haryana High Court held that free speech cannot justify terms like ‘casteist goons’, as such language unfairly criminalises entire communities. Justice Vinod S Bhardwaj rejected activist-lawyer Rajat Kalsan’s plea to quash the criminal case pending.
The Supreme Court ruled that the word “bastard” is not a caste-based slur, criticizing police for wrongly invoking the SC/ST Act. The Court granted anticipatory bail, noting no caste insult was mentioned in the FIR.
