Odisha High Court 
Odisha

Casteist slur against actor Varsha: Odisha HC orders probe

The complaint accused Varsha of violating the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (prevention of Atrocities) Act by abusing her in  public.

Express News Service

CUTTACK: A 38-year-old resident of Bhubaneswar, Usha Nayak has sought the Orissa High Court intervention against inaction of Nayapalli police station on her complaint against actor Varsha Priyadarshini. The complaint accused Varsha of violating the Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act by abusing her in public.

However, the single Judge bench of Justice SK Panigrahi on Thursday decided to first ascertain the veracity of the allegations brought against the actress and assigned the job to the deputy commissioner of police, Bhubaneswar.

Justice Panigrahi issued the interim order after the state counsel submitted before the court that a lot of complaints have been filed at different police stations of the state at the behest of some persons. There are so many cases filed on the same cause of action, which shows that frivolous cases are being filed and energy of the police is unnecessarily wasted without any substance, the state counsel submitted.

“In such view of the matter, the deputy commissioner of police, Bhubaneswar is directed to inquire into the matter properly,” Justice Panigrahi said, while directing for submission of the inquiry report by the next date (January 16).

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