Case filed against Ram gopal Varma over Ganesh tweets

Spelling fresh trouble for Bollywood director Ram Gopal Varma, a Mumbai consumer activist lodged a criminal complaint against the filmmaker for his recent controversial tweets on Lord Ganesha, here Saturday.

Consumer Guidance Society of India (CGSI) media head and chief of Indus Communications Viveck Shettyy filed the case in the Andheri Metropolitan Magistrate Court.

The matter will come up for hearing Sep 30.

"Varma's comments are deliberate and malicious, and clearly intended to outrage religious feelings...thereby (these) constitute an offence under the Indian Penal Code (IPC)," Shettyy said.

He has accused Varma of deliberate and malicious acts intended to outrage religious feelings of any class by insulting its religion and of intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of peace among others.

Shettyy also urged people within and outside the film industry to boycott all films by Varma as a mark of protest.

Last week, some political and social activists in Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Delhi and other places also filed police complaints against Varma for what they termed "objectionable tweets" denigrating the elephant-headed god.

Varma, 52, had posted certain tweets and jocular remarks on Lord Ganesh Aug 29, which many people said were objectionable and in poor taste, provoking outrage in various parts of the country.

Though he subsequently apologized for his comments, police said they will investigate the case before taking further action in the matter.

Social activists and organisations, including the Vishwa Hindu Parishad, had strongly condemned Varma's comments and demanded an apology from him as well as strict police action against him.