Surat Court Orders Arrest Warrant For Anurag Kashyap Over Social Media Post

Court Action

A Surat court ordered a bailable warrant for filmmaker Anurag Kashyap after he did not show up for a scheduled hearing regarding comments he posted online last year about the Brahmin community. Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate JV Chauhan set the next date for the case on December 24. The judicial step followed multiple skipped court appearances by the director, who previously received official summons including a public notice printed in a Mumbai newspaper. The case stems from an April 2025 social media post on X where Kashyap made remarks targeting the community following trailer objections raised by the groups Akhil Bharatiya Brahmin Samaj and Vipra Sena over the film Phule.

Legal Claims And Apology

Lawyer Kamlesh Raval, who advises Hindutva groups Bajrang Dal and Vishwa Hindu Parishad, filed the initial complaint. The court ordered a case under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita covering the promotion of group enmity, intentional insult, and rumour circulation. The petition stated that when a social media user named Aaditya questioned the post, Kashyap replied with a message asking what he achieved by being a Brahmin. Days after the online backlash began, the filmmaker posted an apology on Instagram, stating he crossed a line by using abusive language while angry and asking forgiveness from his family and the community.

Context

A bailable warrant is a court order directing police to bring an accused person before a magistrate, but it allows that person to get immediate release by paying a set security amount or providing a surety. Legal complaints over online speech in India often invoke specific sections of criminal law regarding community sentiments and public peace.