Contempt case: Vivek Agnihotri tenders 'unconditional apology' in Delhi HC
Director-writer-producer Vivek Agnihotri tendered an "unconditional apology" in the Delhi High Court on Monday in a 2018 contempt case. In 2018, the filmmaker reportedly made some concerning tweets against Orissa High Court Chief Justice S Muralidhar and also expressed an apology but without appearing in court. In March, the Delhi High Court asked him to arrive at the court to "show remorse in person."
Filmmaker was supposed to appear last month
Live Law reported, "Vivek Agnihotri tenders his unconditional apology by appearing physically before Delhi High Court and reiterates his remorse for his remarks against Justice S Muralidhar in 2018." The Kashmir Files director was supposed to appear before the judge last month but failed to do so; he was then asked to appear on Monday (April 10), and he finally adhered to the order.
Check out the updates in the hearing
What is the controversy all about?
In 2018, Muralidhar, who was the chief justice of the Delhi HC at the time, granted bail to Gautam Navlakha, who was the main accused in the Bhima Koregaon violence case. Agnihotri had tweeted against Muralidhar, but once a case of contempt was filed, he took down the controversial tweets. Subsequently, in December 2022, he tendered an "unconditional apology" but didn't appear in person.
What is the Bhima Koregaon case?
On January 1, 2018, riots broke out at Koregaon Bhima, a village in Maharashtra. The violence between the Dalits and the Marathas reportedly resulted in the death of a 28-year-old man while five others were injured. After the clashes, violent protests erupted across Maharashtra, including in Pune, Nagpur, Baramati, Aurangabad, and Thane. Dalits allegedly vandalized buses, forcibly downed shutters of shops, and stopped trains.
Work front: What is Agnihotri working on?
Meanwhile, Agnihotri's last film was The Kashmir Files, a commercially successful venture that starred Anupam Kher, Mithun Chakraborty, and Pallavi Joshi. Up next, he is working on The Vaccine War, a pan-Indian film that will be released in 11 languages this Independence Day. It's reportedly "the true story of a war that India fought and won with its science, courage & great Indian values."
