Bollywood provocateur Anurag Kashyap is officially in the crosshairs of the Indian judicial system. A Surat court has directed the registration of a criminal FIR and issued a non-bailable warrant against the filmmaker following his repeated failure to respond to legal summons. The charges relate to alleged derogatory remarks he made on social media directed at the Brahmin community.
The legal offensive is being spearheaded by Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) leader and lawyer Kamlesh Raval. According to a formal complaint, Kashyap’s troubles ignited in April of last year when he took to X to aggressively defend the controversial film Phule against protests led by the All India Brahman Samaj.
Judicial Magistrate First Class A S Jani passed the order, mandating the case be registered under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita sections 196 and 352, according to the ruling on the non-bailable warrant. These specific statutes deal with promoting enmity between different groups and intentional insult intended to provoke a breach of peace. The court’s patience apparently ran out after Kashyap ignored multiple notices to appear and clarify his stance.
The complaint does not just focus on the recent Phule drama. Raval’s filing also drags up older posts from January 2020 where Kashyap allegedly labeled the Union government “casteist.” This broader timeline outlines a sustained ideological friction between the outspoken director and conservative groups, confirming the defamation allegations brought forward by the VHP leader.
As of right now, Kashyap and his legal team have maintained complete silence regarding the formal order from the Surat court to register a criminal case against him. The director is notoriously active online, making his current digital absence highly conspicuous to his followers.