Actor Chetan Kumar, who is facing two FIRs based on complaints by members of the Brahmin community for his critical comments on ‘Brahminism’, has sued Labour Minister A. Shivaram Hebbar for civil defamation for his “defamatory” tweets against him.
Mr. Chetan Kumar has sought ₹1 and a public apology from the Minister.
Mr. Hebbar tweeted on June 11 condemning the actor’s comments on ‘Brahminism’ and called for his arrest. In the same series of tweets he alleged that some people like the actor were “anti-social” and making inflammatory statements to gain recognition or for financial benefits.
In a statement put out on Twitter on Saturday, Mr. Chetan Kumar said the language and insinuations made by the Minister in his tweets were “demeaning and offensive”. He added that Mr. Hebbar was misusing his role as a public servant, and must be held accountable. The actor further said that through tweets from his official account, Mr. Hebbar was also directly influencing the powers that be to put him in jail for his “democratic rights of free speech and for quoting ideas/terms our Bahujan icons Buddha, Basava/Sharanas, Dr. Ambedkar, Periyar and so many others spent their lives championing”. He called it “an attempt to criminalise the Bahujan philosophy of equality and justice”.
The city court has issued a notice to the Minister and adjourned the hearing till July 14, sources said.
