The Kerala Story : Surat Court Orders FIR in obscene comment case

Surat : The Surat District and Sessions Court has issued a crucial directive to the Adajan police in Surat, urging them to conclude their investigation and submit a report or charge sheet in a complaint filed by social activist Sanjay Izhava. The complaint pertains to 22 individuals who allegedly made obscene comments on his Facebook post containing statistical information about the controversial film “The Kerala Story.”

Sanjay Izhawa, a prominent social activist, brought the complaint to the Adajan Police and Commissioner of Police, targeting 22 unidentified individuals for using vulgar and unparliamentary language in the comments section of his Facebook account. This incident occurred in June 2023 when Izhava posted a statistical analysis of “The Kerala Story.” Despite the passage of three months, the activist’s pleas to the Director General of Police (DGP) and the Police Complaints Authority did not yield a favorable response, prompting Izhawa to seek justice through the Surat court.

While the identities of the individuals responsible for the offensive comments on the social media platform have been determined, the police have yet to take any action. Izhawa’s followers and other members of the online community frequently comment in support or opposition on many of his posts. However, the situation took a troubling turn in “The Kerala Story,” with comments and images featuring unparliamentary language, incendiary content, nudity, and embarrassment aimed at other readers.

In the courtroom, Harsha S. Patel represented social activist Sanjay Izhava. The court, after a careful examination of the complaint, declared that the police were already conducting an investigation into the matter. It was deemed neither reasonable nor fair to pursue separate investigations for the same offense.

Consequently, the court ordered Police Inspector BA Bhatt of the Adajan police station to promptly inform the court in writing regarding the progress of the investigation. The court further directed the submission of a report or charge sheet upon the investigation’s completion, with a strict timeline of 30 days from the receipt of this order.