Summary: The Bombay High Court cancelled a police complaint against Star Entertainment Media Pvt. Ltd. and others related to a Marathi TV show episode that supposedly insulted a scheduled caste. The court found no intention to harm or insult by those involved.
On December 23, 2025, Judges Manish Pitale and Manjusha Deshpande reviewed requests to cancel Police Report No. 232 of 2023. The report was filed at Wada Police Station, Thane, after an episode of a Marathi show aired on August 22, 2012. The episode allegedly used offensive language against a scheduled caste.
The police report accused Star Entertainment Media Pvt. Ltd. (SEMPL), its Executive Producer, and others of showing content that insulted scheduled castes. The complaint was made by Rahul Gaikwad, who felt embarrassed by the episode's language.
"The words were purposely used to embarrass," claimed the person who made the complaint.
The people accused argued that they neither created the content nor intended to insult anyone. They pointed out that the script did not have the offensive words, which were supposedly added on the spot by an actor.
"SEMPL had no role in deciding the dialogues or hiring actors," their defense stated.
The court looked into whether those accused intended to insult or threaten. They noted that the police report did not show that the accused were not part of a scheduled caste, which is necessary for the charges.
The court found that the basic parts of the alleged crimes were not proven. Those accused, including SEMPL, could not be blamed for the actor's spur-of-the-moment words.
"Intention or a guilty mind cannot be attributed to those accused," the judgment stated.
The police report was cancelled against those accused. The court stressed the need for clear proof of intent before moving forward with criminal cases in such sensitive matters.
