KJO Hardik and KL Rahul found ‘innocent’ by the court in 2018 case over remarks against women on Koffee With Karan show
KJO Hardik and KL Rahul, the Jodhpur Court on Tuesday granted relief to cricketers Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul and film director Karan Johar, in a case that was registered against the trio, for some offensive remarks made by the cricketer duo on the talk show “Koffee with Karan,” hosted by Karan Johar in 2018. According to reports, the High Court dismissed the court case filed by one DR Meghwal against the three after they were declared ‘innocent.’
KJO Hardik and KL Rahul: All about the Court case
It may be recalled that back in the year 2018, an episode featuring KL Rahul and Hardik Pandya aired on the sixth season of the talk show ‘Koffee with Karan’ hosted by Karan Johar where the two cricketers freely talked about hooking up with girls, being open with their families about sex, and hitting on girls in nightclubs, among other things.
Immediately after the episode aired, online outrage began against the duo’s comments with Pandya, in particular, getting severe criticism. Netizens criticized the duo as they considered the remarks made against women during the show as highly sexist, and misogynist. Karan Johar was also castigated for encouraging such misogyny on his show.
While Rahul kept a level head on his shoulders and chose his words very carefully while replying to Karan Johar’s questions throughout the show, it was Hardik Pandya who boasted about hooking up with multiple women and even spoke about how open he is with his parents.
The Baroda all-rounder received a further setback when Gillette terminated its contract with him. Pandya was also replaced in the team by Tamil Nadu all-rounder Vijay Shankar for the ongoing ODI series in Australia and India’s limited-overs tour of New Zealand later this month.
The duo was also slammed by legendary batsman Sunil Gavaskar and World Cup-winning spinner Harbhajan Singh for their controversial remarks.
Following the outrage, Pandya took to Twitter to apologize for the comments he had made on the show. He said, “After reflecting on my comments on Koffee with Karan, I would like to apologize to everyone who I may have hurt in any way. Honestly, I got a bit carried away with the nature of the show. In no way did I mean to disrespect or hurt anyone’s sentiments. Respect.”
Filmmaker Karan Johar also apologized for the controversy relating to the comments made by cricketer Hardik Pandya and KL Rahul on his TV show “Koffee with Karan”.
The cricketer, Hardik, who caused a massive uproar at the show, also allegedly made a “derogatory” tweet on Dr. BR Ambedkar. He tweeted, “Which Ambedkar? The one who drafted a cross law and constitution or the one who spread the disease called reservation in the country.”
DR Meghwal, who claimed to be a member of the Rashtriya Bhim Sena, filed a petition against him for “insulting Ambedkar and hurting the sentiments of the people of his community,” the report stated. Coming back to the episode, the duo had also opened up about their crushes, relationships, and many other things.
However, the controversy refused to die down. Later, a court case was registered against the cricketers and the filmmaker under various sections of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on a complaint filed by DR Meghwal at Jodhpur’s Luni police station. However, today, three years later, the Jodhpur court granted relief to the trio in the court case filed by DR Meghwal.
The BCCI Had Suspended The Players Back In The Day For Their Comments
The Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) had suspended the players at the time following condemnation for their derogatory statements. The governing body of cricket had to send the duo back home and they were not allowed to play the series against Australia.
Kangana Ranaut dubbed KJo “the flag-bearer of nepotism” in the industry, and actresses Sonam Kapoor and Deepika Padukone mocked Ranbir Kapoor’s affairs on the show and it has always remained controversial.
On the cricket field, Hardik Pandya is currently in the West Indies for the T20 series while KL Rahul has not played any cricket since the IPL because of injuries and covid-19.
