Defamation case filed in Agra against Dhirendra Shastri over Lord Krishna remarks

A defamation case has been filed in an Agra court against Bageshwar Dham head Dhirendra Krishna Shastri over comments he made about Lord Krishna during a religious discourse in Madhya Pradesh.

The petition was filed by advocate Ajay Pratap Singh and was heard by Civil Judge (Junior Division-V) Kanchan Kumari.

The next hearing is on December 14. Singh alleges that the remarks were derogatory and hurt the religious sentiments of devotees, as well as the social standing of Krishna's descendants.

The comments came during a Ram Katha held on October 29 in Karera, in Shivpuri district. Shastri compared the two deities' postures and physical forms, saying that Ram is upright, while Krishna is bent, or "crooked."

He then referred to Krishna as 'tribhanga', a term for the form bent at three points, and went on to comment on the curve of the waist, the tilt of the neck and the way the flute is held.

Shastri has said the remarks were not meant to disrespect anyone. According to Bombay Samachar, he explained that he was describing a devotional verse and did not intend to insult either deity or rank one above the other. The same outlet's report also carries a line about an apology in the face of backlash, though other reports do not mention it.

It is important to note that no finding of guilt has been made against Shastri. The court has so far only taken up the petition.

Shastri, 30, heads Bageshwar Dham in Chhatarpur district and has a very large online following, running to millions of followers across platforms.

His statements have been questioned before. In 2023, Nagpur police said no offence could be registered after an anti-superstition campaigner complained about his public programmes in the city.

On December 14, the court is expected to take up the matter again.

At that stage it will weigh whether the complaint and the material Singh submitted give grounds to proceed. Shastri will also have the chance to respond.

Whether the remark amounts to defamation is a legal question for the court, and public opinion is likely to stay divided between those who see an insult to a revered figure and those who see a poetic comparison taken out of context.