The controversy surrounding cricketer-turned-politician Navjot Singh Sidhu's participation in The Kapil Sharma Show is only intensifying.
HC Arora, an advocate in the Punjab and Haryana High Courts, has filed a complaint against Sidhu for using "vulgar, double-meanings and obscene dialogues" on the popular TV show.
According to The Indian Express, Arora, in a letter to the Punjab Chief Secretary wrote, "I viewed The Kapil Sharma Show on Saturday from 9pm to around 10.15pm. The 'comedy' of Kapil Sharma, and particularly that of Navjot Singh Sidhu was replete with vulgar, double-meanings and obscene dialogues. It violated various provisions of the Indian Penal Code, 1860, as well as those of the Information and Technology (IT) Act. Their dialogues offended my conscience while viewing the show along with my wife and daughters… Although I am yet to procure a recorded version of the utterances of these two comedians, yet on the basis of whatever I can recollect, Sidhu told Kapil Sharma 'Kapil, you please get married, otherwise after crossing 40 years of age, you shall lose your reproductive capacity'."
The advocate went on to mention another "joke" made by Sidhu on the show about an old man who forgets to button his pants after using the toilet.
"When asked for the reason, he replied, ‘a road that has no treasure, what is the point of putting a lock to it?’ What Sidhu wanted to bring home to the audience was that an old man need not button up his pants, as he being virtually impotent, cannot harm any woman. I would, therefore, call upon you to convey my feelings to Chief Minister, that the situation has reached such alarming proportions that the Chief Minister must rein his colleague Navjot Singh Sidhu," Arora added.
Conflict of interest?
Last month, Sidhu was inducted as a Cabinet Minister for Local Government, Tourism and Cultural Affairs in the new Congress government in Punjab headed by Chief Minister Amarinder Singh.
Soon after, Arora had filed a PIL against Sidhu's continued appearance on the comedy show even after becoming a Minister.
Kapil Sharma/Twitter
Sidhu had defending his move to continue The Kapil Sharma Show saying that he will fulfill all his duties as a Minister and will go to Mumbai only for one night on Saturday to shoot for the show.
He claimed that his only earning was from this show and he had stopped doing other things like sports commentary. "It is a matter of only one night. I will be available for the rest of the time," Sidhu had told the media.
He maintained that doing a TV show did not come under the ambit of "office of profit" since he was not getting any money from the government.
Later, Punjab Advocate General Atul Nanda said that there was no conflict of interest in Sidhu's working as state Cabinet Minister and his work on the popular comedy show.
"There was, in the opinion of the Advocate General, no violation of the Constitution of India, the Representation of the People Act, 1951, or the Code of Conduct in this case. As per his opinion, Sidhu faces no legal bar in continuing with his work on the comedy show," CM's media advisor Raveen Thukral said.
With IANS inputs