Fact-Check: Does This Video Show Lawyer Saurabh Kirpal Dancing? No!
The video shows one Daman Choudhary, who is the co-founder of a fashion company named Runway Lifestyle.
Fact-Check | Those sharing the video have misidentified one Daman Choudhary as lawyer Saurabh Kirpal.
(Photo: Altered by The Quint)
A video which shows a person dancing to a Bollywood song is going viral on the internet.
Those sharing the video have identified the person as Saurabh Kirpal, who is a senior advocate and the son of former Chief Justice of India (CJI) Bhupinder Nath Kirpal.
What is the claim?: The post is being shared in poor taste, with users claiming that Kirpal could be the next CJI and that is why the Supreme Court is treating the same-sex marriage case with importance.
An archive of the post can be seen here.
How did we find out?: A reverse image search led us to the original video posted on an Instagram page called 'damandiaries'.
The video was uploaded on 8 January 2022 and its caption mentioned, "Finally dancing to one of my most favourite track of the season."
The account's bio said "digital creator" and identified the user as the co-founder of a fashion company named Runway Lifestyle.
The account's bio also mentioned "Impressionist."
On checking the company's website, we found the person's full name was Daman Choudhary.
Saurabh Kirpal clarifies: Kirpal took to Twitter to clarify that the person dancing in the video is not him.
He also criticised those sharing the video for mocking somebody in this manner, calling it "disgusting homophobia."
Why is the claim being shared?: Kirpal, who openly identifies as a gay man, was recently recommended by the Supreme Court Collegium for appointing him as a Delhi High Court judge.
The collegium had disagreed with the Centre which expressed its concern over Kirpal's openness about his sexual orientation.
What is the same-sex marriage case about?: The apex court is hearing a case where petitioners are demanding the legal recognition of same-sex marriage.
The matter is being heard by a five-judge Constitution bench headed by CJI DY Chandrachud.
Conclusion: It is clear that social media users are sharing a video of a person dancing by misidentifying him as Saurabh Kirpal.
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