A Chandigarh court on Tuesday dismissed an anticipatory bail application filed by former cricketer and veteran actor Yograj Singh in the FIR registered against him over alleged derogatory remarks against women made in a viral clip from a web series.
Yograj Singh, father of cricket legend Yuvraj Singh, approached the District Court for anticipatory bail on May 16 after an FIR was registered against him in Chandigarh.
The police registered the FIR at Sector-36 police station under Section 79 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Section 62A of the Information Technology Act, 2000, following a formal complaint by advocates Ujjwal Bhasin and Jatin Verma on May 14.
Complainants alleged that the remarks in the clip allegedly made by Yograj Singh are not only indecent but also perpetuate misogyny, undermining societal respect for women. In a clip from the show that has gone viral on social media, Yograj’s character makes an alleged comment directed at a female police officer.
In his defense, Yograj’s counsel argued that the actor was merely playing a fictional character on screen and was strictly bound by a professional actor’s contract. The counsel contended that the accused is falsely implicated in the case.
He also said there is nothing which is to be recovered from the accused. The state, in the reply filed before the court, besides other things, said the voice samples of the accused are required in the case.
The state also contended that the original records related to the alleged video are also required for the investigation. After hearing the arguments, the court dismissed the anticipatory bail application of the accused.
