Partial relief for Yuvraj Singh in casteist remark case

The High Court Bench made it clear that the investigating agency would continue with its investigation “wholly impartially and independently to come to its own conclusion as to whether any such offence has been committed by the petitioner or not”

Yuvraj Singh. File photo

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, February 18

Partly allowing a petition filed by Yuvraj Singh in a case alleging “casteist remarks”, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has made it clear that the former cricketer did not commit offences related to promoting enmity between different groups on ground of religion and imputations, assertions prejudicial to national integration punishable under Sections 153-A and 153-B of the IPC.

Justice Amol Rattan Singh at the same time dismissed his petition with regards the commission of any offence punishable under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

The Bench made it clear that the investigating agency would continue with its investigation “wholly impartially and independently to come to its own conclusion as to whether any such offence has been committed by the petitioner or not”.

Yuvraj Singh had moved the court for quashing FIR dated February 14, 2021, registered at Hansi police station in Hansi district. It was alleged that offences punishable under Sections 153-A and 153-B of the IPC and the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act had been committed.

Yuvraj Singh was represented by senior advocate Puneet Bali and advocate Arjun Sheoran appeared on the complainant’s behalf.

Justice Amol Rattan Singh added: “When a word denoting a caste or class of people who belong to a Scheduled Caste/Scheduled Tribe is used in a derogatory sense, I would agree with the counsel for respondent-complainant, at least prima facie for the purpose of this petition, that it has become common parlance to use it as a pejorative word, thereby bringing indignity to that entire class of people, if it is used to describe a person not behaving in a ‘good manner’, in the eyes of the person using the word.”

The Bench added the petitioner having used the offensive word to state that his friend did not do something good by making his father dance in a ceremony, “seemingly at least, at this stage, the word was not used in any good sense but, as said, in a pejorative manner”.

Plea under SC/ST Act dismissed

Justice Amol Rattan Singh dismissed Yuvraj’s petition with regards the commission of offence punishable under the provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.

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