New Delhi, Sept 21: The Supreme Court has sought responses from the Central government, as well as the governments of Maharashtra and Haryana, regarding a petition filed by comedian Pranit More. The petition seeks to consolidate various FIRs registered against him over his controversial ‘Rs 370 Biryani’ remark into a single case.
A three-judge bench comprising Justice Surya Kant and Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana issued this order on Monday.
During the hearing, the counsel representing Pranit More informed the court that their client had apologized for the controversy on various platforms, including before the National Commission for Women.
They stated that he is prepared to face the legal proceedings but is requesting only that the FIR registered in Gurugram be merged with the one registered in Mumbai.
The counsel further informed the court that More had deleted the video even before the FIR was registered, as soon as he realized the gravity of the controversy. They also argued that he was traveling at the time and that his PR team had published the video without his permission.
So, what exactly is the ‘Rs 370 Biryani’ controversy? Himanshu Jangra, an audience member at a comedy show hosted by Praneeth More in Gurugram, recounted an incident where he had bought chicken biryani worth Rs.370 for his date.
Jangra stated that when the woman later asked him to drop her home, he demanded sexual favors in return for the money spent on the biryani. The video showed Praneeth More laughing at this remark. The clip sparked widespread criticism after going viral on social media.
Widespread Outrage
Many criticized the statement made in the video as derogatory and insensitive towards women. Praneeth More also faced backlash on social media for laughing at the remark instead of objecting to it.
Following the escalation of the controversy, both Praneeth More and Himanshu Jangra issued apologies. Jangra also deactivated his Instagram account. In connection with the incident, Starvic Design—the Gurugram-based firm where Jangra was employed—terminated his services; the company’s founder, Vivek Vishwakarma, confirmed this in a video.
Legal proceedings regarding the case are ongoing, and the hearing will resume after the Supreme Court receives responses from the respective governments concerning the consolidation of the FIRs.