Punjab and Haryana High Court quashes FIR against Punjabi singer Pooja

Chandigarh, June 3

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has quashed FIRs against Punjabi singer Pooja, actor Harish Verma and others for allegedly hurting religious sentiments in her 2018 music video ‘Jeeju’.

The petitioners, in a bunch of petitions placed before the Bench of Justice Aman Chaudhary, had challenged the common order dated April 26, 2018, passed by “Nyayadhikari Gram Nyayalaya”, Nangal. A consequential FIR registered on April 27, 2018, was also challenged.

“Considering the impugned orders passed in the present cases, in light of the exposition of law, the reflection of the application of mind is conspicuously missing therein, as evidently the Magistrate had neither assimilated, nor verified the truth and veracity of the allegations and merely mentioned that prima facie, an offence was made out, that too without even having watched the questioned song, which purportedly had hurt the religious feelings of the complainant, while it is settled that in such an act, there must be a malicious attempt to outrage the religious feelings of one class,” Justice Chaudhary asserted.