A case against Indian cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul, and Bollywood filmmaker Karan Johar, has been registered in Jodhpur. The complaint has been filed following the comments made on an episode of Johar's talk show ‘Koffee With Karan’, featuring the two cricketers, in January.
This is the first time that the filmmaker has also found himself in trouble, after the two sportspersons were suspended pending inquiry by the national cricket board.
On 24 January, the Committee of Administrators (CoA) had lifted the suspensions on Pandya and Rahul, almost two weeks after the two had been sent home from Australia for their controversial comments on the show.
However, an inquiry will still take place into the matter, for which an ombudsman is to be appointed by the Supreme Court. The apex court had listed the matter tentatively for February, but has since then pushed it to a date later this month.
After the ban was lifted, Pandya had joined the Indian ODI team in New Zealand, while Rahul was named in the India A squad for their five one-dayers against England Lions.
Commenting on the controversy that broke out after the episode was aired on 6 January, Johar had said he feels "very responsible" about the repercussions that the cricketers had to face since they made some misogynistic remarks on his chat show.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)