Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul, along with filmmaker Karan Johar have been booked by Rajasthan police over sexist comments made against women in the TV show Koffee with Karan, PTI reported.
The two cricketers were recently suspended by the Board of Control for Cricket in India for the India-Australia series. However, the board lifted their bans on January 24. Rahul joined the India A side while the all-rounder travelled to New Zealand to play the ongoing limited-overs series.
The FIR was lodged on the directions of a magistrate’s court, Luni station house officer Bansi Lal said on Wednesday. Jodhpur resident DR Meghwal had approached the court seeking an order for the police to register a case against Pandya, Rahul and Johar.
The petitioner termed the remarks indecent and said they were made deliberately to increase the popularity of the show. In his complaint, Meghwal said Johar deliberately presented content that humiliated women. He also referred to the content as promiscuous and gender-biased in nature.
Meghwal had filed another case against Pandya last year, complaining about the cricketer’s alleged comments on Twitter against BR Ambedkar. Pandya had rejected that allegation, saying the Twitter account did not belong to him.
Pandya and Rahul were recalled from the Australia tour and placed under suspension. The suspension was lifted after the BCCI’s Committee of Administrators approached the Supreme Court, asking it to appoint an ombudsman to inquire into the matter.
Later, Johar expressed regret, saying that he had sleepless nights trying to undo the damage. Meanwhile, the BCCI is considering behavioural counselling for young cricketers since the episode.