The Supreme Court has ruled that calling someone &lsquo;miyan-tiyan&rsquo; or &lsquo;Pakistani&rsquo; may be impolite, but it does not qualify as a criminal offense. In other words, bad manners aren&rsquo;t illegal&mdash;just deeply frowned upon.
A bench comprising Justice BV Nagarathna and Justice Satish Chandra Sharma delivered this verdict while closing a case against a Jharkhand man accused of hurling these remarks at a government servant. 
The case stemmed from a complaint filed by an Urdu translator and acting clerk in Jharkhand. The complainant alleged that when he approached the accused to furnish information regarding a Right to Information (RTI) application, the latter used derogatory language, referring to his religion, and obstructed him from carrying out his official duties.
Things escalated further, leading to an FIR under IPC sections for hurting religious sentiments, insulting with intent to provoke breach of peace, and using criminal force to deter a public servant from duty.
However, the apex court wasn't buying it. &ldquo;Undoubtedly, the statements made are in poor taste. However, they do not amount to hurting religious sentiments,&rdquo; the bench remarked, essentially handing out a legal version of &lsquo;just ignore the troll&rsquo;.
Moreover, the court noted that there was no physical assault or force used, meaning Section 353 of the IPC&mdash;meant for deterring a public servant from duty&mdash;did not hold up either. The court further noted that there was no act on the accused&rsquo;s part that could have provoked a breach of peace. Additionally, it ruled that the allegations did not meet the criteria to invoke Section 353 IPC, as there was no evidence of assault or use of force.
What does it entail? If words could kill, this case might have had merit, but since they cannot, the law has better things to do.
So, while name-calling may still land you in social media trouble, it seems the law won&rsquo;t be taking attendance in the &lsquo;Who Said What&rsquo; debate.

Such remarks may be offensive, they are not a criminal offence, rules SC

‘Miyan-Tiyan & Pakistani Insults, Not a Crime’

Such remarks may be offensive, they are not a criminal offence, rules SC

March 4, 2025 | 15:15 IST