Hindu Deities cannot be denigrated

Issue of insult to Bhagavan Shrikrushna on Facebook
Madras High Court reprimands Tamil Nadu Police for intentionally investigating the matter carelessly

Chennai (Tamil Nadu) – Bhagavan Shrikrushna’s picture was posted on Facebook by a person, along with denigrating comments. Tamil Nadu Police submitted a report claiming that they couldn’t find the culprit; therefore, the Madras High Court reprimanded them. The Court stated that Hindus’ Deities cannot be insulted. Tuticorin Police have been careless in their investigations and have submitted their final report in a hurry. Freedom of speech does not mean hurting the religious sentiments of Hindus. It can cause communal rage and create law and order problems. The Court cancelled the report submitted by the Police and directed the Police to complete the investigations and submit their report within three months.

What is the issue?

In August 2022, a person named Satish Kumar posted a picture on Facebook (FB) showing a scene of Bhagavan Shrikrushna hiding clothes of ‘Gopis’, with a comment that the ‘Janmashtami’ festival is of the one who stole clothes of bathing women. Mr P Paramesivan filed a complaint with the Police when he saw the post on FB. In February 2025, the Police submitted their report in the lower court, wherein it was mentioned that they contacted FB’s parent company, Meta, but they couldn’t get information about the account holder. The lower court accepted the report and closed the case, but Paramesivan challenged it in the High Court.

The High Court has noted that some personal information was already available on that page from which the account holder could have been found. The final report was submitted just as a formality. The Magistrate didn’t pay attention to the objections raised on the report while closing the case; therefore, their order was not legally appropriate.

Madras HC slams TN Police: Court raps police for deliberate negligence in probe over Facebook denigration of Bhagwan Sri Krishna.

This case sends a clear message – Hindu deities are not to be disrespected.

Hindus demand that officers shielding the accused face punishment, not… pic.twitter.com/8pYmr0oMyQ

— Sanatan Prabhat (@SanatanPrabhat) August 9, 2025

Freedom of speech does not mean hurting religious sentiments

The High Court stated that people should show more sensitivity towards Deities’ pictures and the Government should ensure that freedom of speech does not mean hurting religious sentiments. Showing Hindu Deities in a derogatory manner means deliberately hurting the religious sentiments of billions of people. It cannot be right in any situation. It can lead to communal hatred and social disharmony. Considering faith in the religious symbols, their insult can lead to hurting a large section of society.

The Story of hiding the Gopis’ clothes is symbolic

The Court has noted that the story of Bhagavan Shrikrushna hiding ‘gopis’ clothes is symbolic, and it is elucidated in various ways, one of which is, Shrikrushna tested whether ‘gopis’ devotion was superior to worldly desires. This story shows the importance of spiritual practice and detachment.