Bombay High Court Quashes FIR Against Advocate for Using Term ‘Bhangi’ in WhatsApp Video

The Bombay High Court quashed an FIR filed against advocate Kedar Bhusari for using the term 'Bhangi' in a video sent via WhatsApp, finding no intent to insult the Scheduled Caste community.

The Case arose when Bhusari had complained about garbage dumping near his residence, mentioning pigs entering the area from  ‘Bhangiwada’ and ‘Mehtarwada'.

The video was sent to the Assistant Commissioner of JMC and shared in a health department group. 

The court noted that while a 2000 circular replaced the term in official communication with “Rukhi” or “Walmiki”, it did not meet the legal threshold for criminal intent under the SC/ST Act. The FIR was therefore set aside.