Vetticad, along with some journalists, had posted a picture on social media with Dorsey in which he was holding a banner stating “Smash Brahminical Patriarchy”.
Jaipur| On Tuesday, Rajasthan High Court quashed a First Information Report (FIR) filed against Twitter CEO Jack Dorsey and film critic Anna M.M. Vetticad. The FIR was filed in 2018 when Dorsey was visiting India and Vetticad, along with some journalists, had posted a picture on social media with Dorsey in which he was holding a banner stating “Smash Brahminical Patriarchy”.
A resident of Jodhpur named Rajkumar Sharma had filed the FIR against Jack via a case filed in court complaining that the Twitter post maligned the Brahmin community and hurt his religious sentiment. He claimed that the Brahmin Community, which performs important customs and rites, is a “highly respected” community in society.
Justice Sandeep Mehta, principal seat at the Rajasthan High Court’s Jodhpur, ruled against the complaint saying the impugned phrase had only challenged the sociological concepts of a particular section of the Brahmin community.
“By no stretch of imagination can it be perceived that these words hurt the religious sentiments of any citizen nor can they be interpreted as creating a religion-based rift in any section of society,” the court added.
The court did not find any offence committed by either Jack Dorsey or Vetticad and said that the investigation followed by police, in this case, was “absolutely uncalled for”.
“The impugned FIR does not disclose necessary ingredients of any cognisable offence so as to warrant its registration and investigation in furtherance thereof.”
The court observed that the words in poster had only conveyed feelings of strong denouncement of the Brahminical patriarchal system.
“Whether or not to follow or oppose the patriarchal system in the society is a matter of personal choice and cannot be thrust down anyone’s throat,” the court further added.
Mr. Dorsey’s counsel told the court that Dorsey had no intentions of hurting sentiments of any community. On his visit to India, an unknown woman had to click a picture with the poster and he allowed her to take a picture.
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