Kannada Actor Chetan Kumar’s recent controversy

Recent claims made by Chetan that the Tirupati temple was constructed after a Buddha temple was destroyed caused debate.

Chetan Kumar Ahimsa, a Kannada actor and anti-Hindutva activist, received a brief reprieve on Monday when the Karnataka High Court blocked the Central government’s earlier decision to revoke his Overseas Citizenship of India (OCI) status.

Chetan Kumar had filed a legal challenge against the ruling. Until June 2, 2023, neither the state nor the federal government may take any action against Chetan, according to the ruling of Justice M. Nagaprasanna-led bench. Chetan had also been told not to tweet anything negative against the judiciary by the bench. Additionally, he was told not to make any statements on open cases.

Chetan was ordered by the bench to delete all of his tweets and provide an affidavit within four days. The court informed Chetan Kumar that this instruction is a part of the final ruling and that if any of the terms are broken, the interim stay order will be revoked.

Aditya Sondhi, a senior attorney representing Chetan Kumar, contended that the petitioner should have had a chance to appear before the show-cause notice was granted. The Central government should determine whether Chetan’s tweets constitute sedition. The petitioner risks being extradited outside of the nation if the court does not impose a stay on this order.

His OCI card will be canceled, making him an illegal immigrant. The counsel argued that the court should uphold the petitioner’s interests.

Additional Attorney General Arun Shyam, who represented the state government in court, stated that the actor has a pattern of tweeting negatively against the courts and should not be granted temporary protection.

Chetan Kumar’s Overseas Citizenship of India status had been revoked by the Union Home Ministry, and he had been given 15 days to return his OCI card.

The actor had denounced the action and claimed that the notice had been given to him because he couldn’t be stopped in his socially conscious and logical work.

Chetan recently made the controversial allegation that the Tirupati temple was constructed following the destruction of a Buddha temple. He asserted in an interview that Vaidik institutions never controlled Hindu temples. According to him, Buddhist temples were destroyed before Hindu temples were erected.

Chetan asserted that Hindutva is founded on lies in a social media post. He disputed Veer Savarkar’s assertion that Lord Rama’s return to Ayodhya following his victory over Ravana gave rise to the Hindu nation.

He added that it is equally false to claim that Ramjanmabhoomi is located at the location of the Babri Masjid. Their (BJP’s) claim that Tipu Sultan was killed by Uri Gowda and Nanje Gowda in 2023 is likewise untrue.

Chetan Kumar emphasised that the truth may overthrow Hindutva. “Truth is equality,” he wrote in his post.