Amidst the success of ‘Dhurandhar 2’, Ranveer faced trouble for mimicking ‘Kantara’. An FIR was filed against the actor and Ranveer later submitted a statement of apology. He also assured the court that he would visit the Chamundi temple and offer forgiveness. According to the latest update on the case, on Saturday, the Karnataka High Court assured to visit the Chamundi Hill temple in Mysore as a gesture of apology for the controversial mimicry associated with ‘Kantara’. Justice Nagaprasanna said he would issue orders to close out Singh’s petition after recording his apology and undertaking to visit the temple. The court also stated that the visit should take place within four weeks.“While the others are, I will record it, he will do it in the next four weeks,” said the judge, according to Bar and Bench. The case stems from a plea filed by Singh seeking to dismiss a criminal complaint against him. The complaint was filed following his remarks at the 55th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa. In a speech praising the actor-director Rishab Shetty‘s performance, Singh referred to the deity Chamundi as a “female ghost” and mimed a scene, which caused a backlash.Following this, a criminal case was registered against him under Articles 196 (enmity to religion), 299 (insult to religion) and 302 (public vilification) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita. Singh approached the High Court stating that he had no intention of hurting religious sentiments and issued an unconditional apology on social media. He also submitted an affidavit expressing remorse and offered to visit the Chamundi Hill temple for prayers.In an earlier hearing, the complainant’s lawyer questioned the authenticity of Singh’s apology statement. On Saturday, Singh’s counsel, Senior Advocate Sajjan Poovayya, informed the Court that a revised affidavit containing an unconditional apology had been filed. Singh reiterated that he is ready to visit the temple, adding that no date has been fixed yet and the Court could decide.On the other hand, lawyer Prashanth Methal, who had filed the complaint, asked the Court to insert a strong warning in its order that public figures should be careful while speaking on matters of faith. “For them, it’s just a case. For us, it’s a belief system. Every word has weight, words have impact and consequences…Other celebrities shouldn’t take this lightly, so let this court be very careful,” he said.Responding to this, Justice Nagaprasanna said, “I understand. That is the reason why I have not stayed (the criminal case against Singh) till today… The recommendation, we will definitely do so.” Poovayya also told the Court that Singh understands the sensitivity of the matter.“The reason we didn’t argue on the merits is precisely because of this. I have realized the sensitivity and therefore I am expressing regret.”
