The Supreme Court on Friday quashed a First Information Report lodged in Telangana against actor Priya Prakash Varrier for winking during a song in the film Oru Adaar Love, and said no criminal complaint can be filed against her. The song – Manikya Malaraaya Poovi – means “a pearl flower that is very precious” and is about the love story of the Prophet Mohammad and his first wife.
The petitioners had claimed that the act of winking is blasphemous in Islam. Referring to verses in the Quran, the petitioners had asked the court to consider their plea before deciding on Varrier’s petition to quash criminal charges registered against her. They said the visuals were a “deliberate attempt to malign the image of Islam”, and added that it was “intended to outrage the religious feelings and beliefs of the Muslim community”.
The court, however, said the song “does not express any calculated tendency to insult or upset morality or public order” and there is “no sign of blasphemy”, The Hindu reported.
“Somebody in a film sings a song and you have no other job but to file a case,” Bar and Bench quoted Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra as saying.
Varrier became an internet sensation earlier this year for the scene within hours of the song’s release. The movie was released in June.
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