New Delhi | The Supreme Court on Monday sought responses from the Centre, Maharashtra and the Haryana government on a plea by comedian Pranit More seeking the clubbing of FIRs lodged against him in connection with the controversial "Rs 370 biryani" remark allegedly made during a show in Gurugram.
A bench comprising Chief Justice Surya Kant, Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana passed the order after the counsel for More told the court that the comedian has apologised on all forums, including the National Commission for Women.
"I have apologised before all the forums, and I was just the host of the show. I understand the gravity of the situation, but the only thing I am seeking is that the Gurgaon FIR be clubbed with the Bombay FIR. I'm ready to face the trial...
"Even before the FIR was registered, as soon as I got to know about the gravity of the situation, I deleted the video. I was travelling at that time, and the PR team that I have, they did not take my approval before publishing the video," the counsel told the court.
A Gurugram-based firm had earlier sacked its employee, web developer Himanshu Jangra, who went viral for making the controversial "Rs 370 biryani" remark during More's show after widespread social media outrage over the incident.
Jangra faced a backlash for his comment, prompting his employer, Starvik Design, to fire him from his job. Vivek Vishwakarma, the founder of the firm, had confirmed his sacking in a video posted on X.
The controversy began after Jangra during the show recounted a date when he spent Rs 370 on a plate of chicken biryani. When the woman asked him to drop her home, he sought sexual favours for the money he spent on the biryani, Jangra said. More was seen laughing at Jangra's comment.
Later, both More and Jangra apologised for the incident after facing backlash on social media, with the latter also deactivating his Instagram account.
After the comment went viral, social media users termed it insensitive and derogatory towards women. Some also criticised More for not objecting to the remark and laughing it off instead.
